Miss Nigeria ‘Adetshina’ set to lose South African nationality

Chidimma Adetshina, who recently won the Miss Universe Nigeria title, is set to lose her South African citizenship and identification documents following a nationality controversy involving her family background.

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs announced this decision after Adetshina and her mother failed to meet the deadline to provide proof of their eligibility for South African nationality.

The controversy began when Adetshina, who describes herself as “proudly South African” and “proudly Nigerian,” was scrutinised for her eligibility to compete in the Miss South Africa pageant.

Chidimma later withdrew from the contest in August, after the Department of Home Affairs revealed her mother might have committed “identity theft” to obtain South African citizenship.

Following her withdrawal, Adetshina was invited to compete in Nigeria’s pageant, where she went on to win the Miss Universe Nigeria crown.

Addressing a parliamentary committee, Tommy Makhode, the Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs, stated, “The case had been referred to the Hawks,” a specialized police unit for serious crimes, who concluded it was a “case of fraud.” Officials are now waiting for the next steps from prosecutors regarding the matter.

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Adetshina has not commented on the decision to strip her of her nationality, though she previously shared stories of xenophobic backlashes she got ever since, stating she would need therapy to recover, even after deleting her social media account.

“I had to delete it because I felt like it was too much for me. I’m a comment reader, so I read each and every comment; that’s the thing. So for me, I could spend 80% of my day reading comments. “I’d read the comments and all, and it became toxic for me.”

She also made mention that she is not totally off social media, as her fans and supporters can catch her on Instagram. “I use Instagram, but I did limit my comment section one time,” Adetshina wrote.

Reflecting on her identity, she also affirmed, “I see myself as proudly South African and proudly Nigerian.”

Adetshina is currently in Mexico, where she is preparing to represent Nigeria in the Miss Universe pageant on November 16.

She is set to compete alongside contestants from around the world, including Mia le Roux, the reigning Miss South Africa.