Madonsela, Mkhwebane stand up for Chidimma Adetshina’s Miss SA eligibility

Chidimma Adetshina

Cape Town – Former public protectors Thuli Madonsela and Busisiwe Mkhwebane have weighed in on the controversy surrounding Miss SA contestant Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina’s eligibility.

Chidimma, a 23-year-old with a Nigerian father and a South African mother with Mozambican roots, has come under fire from some pageant fans who argue that her diverse background disqualifies her from participating or winning the Miss SA 2024 competition.

Madonsela, however, affirmed in a post on X that Adetshina, born in Soweto, is a South African citizen by birth and eligible to compete.

“Dear fellow South Africans, please note that based on applying [section] (2) (1) of the Citizenship Act of 1995 to information in the public domain, Adetshina is a South African by birth, lawfully participating in the Ms [Miss] SA competition. Should she win, she is entitled to represent us as Miss SA 2024. Your parents need not have been South African for you to be a citizen by birth. Please, let’s stop the noise and support Adetshina and all Miss SA contestants,” Madonsela wrote.

EFF’s Mkhwebane also chimed in and said that South African citizenship can be acquired through various means beyond parental origin, including birth within the country, regardless of the parents’ nationality.

Taking to social media, she wrote: “Citizenship by birth occurs when a person is born to South African parents, automatically granting them citizenship. By descent refers to acquiring citizenship if at least one parent is a South African citizen. For individuals seeking refugee status, citizenship can be obtained through refugee certification after five years of being a refugee and five years of being a permanent resident.

“A person can apply for naturalisation to become a citizen. Permanent residency status is acquired after a person has held a work visa or any other visa for five years, and it also offers a route to citizenship, allowing individuals to reside in the country permanently and eventually apply for citizenship. Therefore, the South African Citizenship Act provides various ways to acquire South African citizenship.”

Both Madonsela and Mkhwebane condemned the scrutiny and urged support for Adetshina, highlighting the need for unity and respect for all Miss SA contestants.

Meanwhile, the EFF has also voiced strong support for Adetshina, saying in a statement that there should be no doubts about her eligibility to compete.

“First, Adetshina’s eligibility should never have been questioned, as the competition performed due diligence to verify the status of all contestants. Second, the intense scrutiny and vitriol aimed at Adetshina reveal a continued colonised mindset among many South Africans.

“We call on all South Africans to introspect and ask themselves: why such harshness towards a 23-year-old black South African woman? What does that say about your mind? Is this a reflection of my deep-seated prejudices?” the statement read.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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