Chidimma Adetshina, the beauty queen at the focus of a heated nationality dispute, is set to be stripped of her travel documents and South African citizenship.
Adetshina, a 23-year-old law student, was the focus of an investigation after making it to the finals of the Miss South Africa pageant. Her eligibility was questioned because of her Nigerian and Mozambican ancestry.
In August, she pulled out of the race after the department revealed that her mother may have used “identity theft” to get South African citizenship.
The promoters asked Adetshina to still compete, and she went on to win Miss Universe Nigeria, despite not having been in Nigeria for 20 years.
According to the Nigerian organisers, it was her opportunity to “represent your father’s native land on an international stage”.
When was Chidimma Adetshina stripped of her South African identity?
On Tuesday, October 28, the Department of Home Affairs informed a parliamentary committee that her identification documents had been withdrawn.
The department's chief civil servant, Tommy Makhode, stated that Adetshina's mother would also have her documents revoked because they both missed the deadline on Monday to provide justifications for their eligibility to retain them.
Adestshina and her mother have not responded to the decision to withdraw their documents.
What happens next?
The Hawks, a special police team that looks into serious crimes, were tasked with investigating the matter, according to Makhode. They determined that it was a “case of fraud” and officials were waiting on prosecutors to decide how to proceed.
Adetshina has just travelled to Mexico to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, which will take place on November 16.
Mia le Roux, the winner of this year's Miss South Africa pageant, will be among the competitors she will face from around the globe.
Prior to being involved in the controversy, the beauty queen said she would “need therapy to recover” from the xenophobic hate she had experienced.
After winning the Nigerian beauty pageant, Adestahina told the BBC that she still considered herself to be “proudly South African” and “proudly Nigerian” despite having previously stated that she was born in the South African town of Soweto.
