Shortly after Chidimma Adetshina was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria at the weekend, ActionSA wrote an urgent letter to the Department of Home Affairs, seeking clarity on how Adetshina’s mother travelled to Nigeria.
According to the party’s chief whip in Parliament, Lerato Ngobeni, Adetshina’s mother was spotted during a TV broadcast at the weekend.
Ngobeni slammed the department for negligence as travels would be restricted, especially to Nigeria.
“It is alarming that the main subject of this ongoing investigation was seen in Nigeria this past weekend during a televised broadcast of Miss Universe Nigeria,” said Ngobeni.
The beauty queen’s controversial pageantry journey sparked division among South Africans when it was discovered that she was born of a Nigerian father and Mozambican mother.
Adetshina’s victory comes amid pending investigations from the department following insidious evidence pertaining to her South African citizenship.
The department recently revealed the former Miss SA contestant’s mother allegedly stole the identity of a South African woman from Tshwane, who entered the national population register in 1982.
Ngobeni cited the June 2022 report by the Ministerial Committee on the Issuance of Permits and Visas, stating of the 36 647 fraudulent applications detected, 12 177 originated from Nigerians, underscoring the scale of the problem.
These figures not only spotlighted the scourge of undocumented foreigners in the country, but undermined South Africa’s immigration laws.
“ActionSA demands that the government not take a lax approach to enforcing our laws, especially when fraud is uncovered, as in the case of Chidimma Adetshina’s mother,” said Ngobeni.
Adetshina’s mother was issued the Promotion of Administrative Justice Letter last month.
Representing Taraba State, Adetshina accepted an impromptu invite from the Miss Universe Nigeria organisers.
“This journey has been a tough journey for me and I am so proud of myself and I am really grateful for the love and the support. This is something that I have always wanted, and I am really glad that I have a second shot as well at achieving it,” said Adetshina.
The 23-year-old said her crown signalled a call for unity among Africans. This is after South Africans were accused of spreading xenophobic and Afrophobic slurs against Adetshina.
“I feel amazing. This crown is not just for beauty, but a call for action, which is unity,” she said.
While Nigerians were overjoyed and celebrated her triumph, the department said Adetshina could face the risk of being stateless.
The home affairs portfolio committee head of legal services, Phelelani Khumalo, told MPs that Adetshina’s citizenship could be cancelled.
“In the event that the director-general finally cancels the identity document, it would mean that the registration itself was fraudulent,” said Khumalo.
Adetshina’s win also came with mixed reactions on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, with many users saying her strong opponent Miss Kwara, Ufa Dania, deserved the crown. Dania broke pageant stereotypes as the first plus-size contestant to vie for the crown.
Additionally, some believed that the pageant was orchestrated.
Hiba 🌻said on X: "Nigeria couldn’t even get a Nigerian woman who grew up in Nigeria to win Miss Nigeria. #MissUniverseNigeria https://t.co/5wlv8RICVC" / X
“Scripted! Imagine a stranger who did not audition came and scammed y’all crown. I feel sorry for those girls,” said Bernice.
“So all these other contestants entered the competition for nothing? Worked so hard only for someone that came from yesterday to win? This is a total joke,” said Peaches.
Adetshina is set to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico, in November.
The Star