Faith Nyasuguta
A South African beauty pageant contestant with a Nigerian father has faced relentless online abuse and scrutiny regarding her eligibility to compete for the Miss South Africa title. This controversy highlights a persistent strain of xenophobia against immigrants from other African countries.
Since Chidimma Adetshina, a 23-year-old law student born in Soweto and living in Cape Town, was announced on July 1 as a contestant vying to represent South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant, her South African citizenship has been repeatedly questioned.
Recently, the debate has attracted attention from politicians, media figures, and has been a topic of discussion on TV news and talk radio shows.
Adetshina revealed that after three weeks of enduring unexpected online attacks ”including questions about her allegiance to Nigeria due to a viral video of her celebrating with Nigerian relatives” she began to question her decision to enter the Miss South Africa competition.
“I accept criticism,” Adetshina told the Sowetan SMag, clarifying that her mother is South African with Mozambican roots. “But it’s just a matter of you trying so hard to represent a country, and you wear it with so much pride and so much grace, and the people that you’re representing are not even in support of you.”
She added, “I’m still finding my feet as to how do I go about [it]. Not taking away from the fact that I am South African, but also understanding that I am still proudly Nigerian and I am proudly South African and just being that symbol of peace and unity.”
Despite her efforts, the scrutiny has continued. South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Art, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, commented on the issue during a radio interview, stating, “I have to go and investigate.”
McKenzie, a leader of the Patriotic Alliance party, which advocates for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, added, “It would be a travesty for this country to be represented globally by someone who identifies more with Nigeria than South Africa, but I made it clear that I hadn’t made up my mind.”
The leftwing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party issued a statement on Wednesday, condemning the scrutiny and vitriol aimed at Adetshina, describing it as a reflection of a “continued colonised mindset” among many South Africans.
The EFF noted that white and Asian former Miss South Africa contestants with foreign parents had not faced the same “Afrophobic” scrutiny.
South Africa’s high unemployment rates over four in ten adults are out of work and violent crime have fueled anti-African immigrant sentiment in the country. This sentiment is embodied by Operation Dudula, a movement founded in 2021 that targets people accused of being foreign drug dealers and businesses believed to employ non-South Africans. The movement’s name comes from the Zulu word meaning to “push away” or “drive back.”
The controversy surrounding Adetshina’s participation in the Miss South Africa pageant highlights the ongoing challenges faced by immigrants and those with immigrant heritage in South Africa. While she navigates these challenges, Adetshina continues to stand firm in her dual identity, embodying both her South African and Nigerian roots as a symbol of peace and unity.
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