As the stakes get high at the ongoing Miss SA 2024 pageant, one of the finalists, Chidinma Vannesa Onwe Adetshina, has found herself in the eye of the storm.
In her entry video to the competition, the law student of South Africa's Varsity College introduced herself as a 23-year-old from Cape Town. Some South Africans are however not convinced she is "native enough" and want her disqualified.
Some netizens have taken issue with her name, which is Nigerian.
Responding to the trolls, Adetshina defended her roots, saying she meets the requirements to compete for the Miss SA title.
"I am a South African citizen, and I have met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss SA competition. The fact that my father is Nigerian does not take away from the fact that I am South African. My mother is South African, and I was born and raised in this country," she said.
The Miss South Africa organisers have also weighed in, confirming that Adetshina met all the requirements to participate in the pageant.
"All documentation provided by the entrants is screened and vetted. Chidinma is a South African citizen and has met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss South Africa competition. Her mother is South African (Zulu), and her father is Nigerian,” the organisation told IOL, a South African digital news platform.
According to the Miss SA organisation, to be eligible to contest for the pageant, the contestant must be a South African citizen and possess a valid ID or passport. If the contestant holds dual citizenship, documents relating to both must be made available.
Further, in the amended South African Citizenship Act, citizenship can be acquired by birth, descent, or naturalisation.
In 2001, Vanessa Carreira, born to Portuguese-Angolan parents in South Africa, won the Miss South Africa title and was placed second runner-up at the Miss Universe competition.
All publicity is good publicity
As the storm rages on social media, it is not lost on some that Adetshina may be winning on some levels.
While Chidinma reckons that she has been on the receiving end, her supporters believe the publicity she gets might just work in her favour, and thrust her to the top.
Powered by her mantra "dreams are valid when actions are taken," Adetshina continues to chase her crown, and is determined to become the next Miss South Africa.
