Miss SA: EFF defends finalist Chidimma Adetshina
The EFF has entered the debate around the participation of Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina in the beauty pageant.
The party says calls for her to be barred from competing stem solely from her Nigerian heritage, despite her meeting all the requirements of the competition and being a South African citizen.
The 23-year-old Miss SA finalist has faced backlash on social media due to her mixed heritage.
Adetshina was born to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother.
Despite being born in Soweto, some argue that she cannot represent South Africa due to her Nigerian roots.
In a statement on Wednesday, the EFF said the criticism aimed at Adetshina reveals “a continued colonised mindset among many South Africans”.
"This situation reflects remnants of apartheid and colonisation, where divisive ideologies continue to plague our society. It is particularly troubling that previous contestants of foreign descent did not face similar scrutiny when they were white or Asian, such as Vanessa Carreira, whose parents are Portuguese and Angolan, highlighting a blatant case of Afrophobia," the statement read.
A recent video posted by Chidimma on social media has further fueled the controversy.
The video shows the finalist celebrating with her Nigerian relatives.
The family of Vanessa Chidimma Adetshina celebrating her being one of the MissSA 2024 finalist pic.twitter.com/zHTwNrc7VM
— sanele nkosi (@Sanelenkosixx) July 29, 2024
The footage ignited even more intense debate among South African X (formerly Twitter) users.
Zamantungwa on X replied to the video with: "The destroyers of our youth, this picture is shouting drug dealers , scammers ,they can never make love this Chidimma . She’s Nigerian and doesn’t represent me , my family , my community, my fellow South Africans".
Thulane Msane on X: "She must contest for Miss Nigeria or Miss Mozambique as her parents are from these countries #MissSA2024"
The minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has also entered the fray.
“I just returned from Paris and will definitely get more information. We truly cannot have Nigerians competing in our Miss SA competition. I want to get all the facts before I comment, but it gives funny vibes already,” McKenzie wrote on X.
I just returned from Paris and will definitely get more information tomorrow, we truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition. I wanna get all facts before I comment but it gives funny vibes already. https://t.co/KQ6K0MT6aG
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 29, 2024
