Organisers of the Miss South Africa beauty pageant are in a dilemma over the entry of Nigerian born contestant Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina.
Chidimma was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, but her wish to contest the Miss SA pageant has caused a national debate, prompting the ruling party in South Africa to ask the organisers to ensure that the laws of the land were followed to determine her eligibility.
“We must not be populists; we must be guided by the laws of this country. The organisers of Miss SA are quiet, and they allowed this girl to be attacked. Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber, the DA minister, must clarify this issue so they do not allow victimisation,” said ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula at press briefing Thursday.
“I have seen comparisons that have been made such as Vanessa Carrera [Miss SA 2001] being Portuguese and all of that. Those issues need to be addressed.
“It is important for the government to speak out on the matter as it put focus on immigration laws.
“This matter puts a focus on immigration laws and where it places us. Is she entitled to participate? We need to clarify that issue so that we do not allow Chidimma to be victimised.
“Organisers and the government must clarify that issue. She was born here; we must clarify that. What is the law saying? We must not have an unending debate. It is a sensitive issue, and it must be clarified.”
He believed the debate was also a result of brewing social competition between South Africa and Nigeria with Adetshina caught in the middle.
“You know Nigerians are forward, they are going to say, ‘we have a Miss South Africa’,” he said jokingly.
“When we argue with them about Amapiano [SA music genre] they say that the genre is theirs. By the way, they came up with a good genre, Afro-pop. They were hitting us nicely and we enjoyed ourselves.
“When it was our turn, the Nigerians claimed Amapiano. The Nigerian economy was the No 1 economy in Africa and we overtook it, they complained. You know this is the competition that goes on between South Africa and Nigeria.”
