Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina is the latest talk of the town following her withdrawal from the Miss South Africa 2024 finals slated for August 10 in Pretoria. The 23-year-old has put South Africa on the map again for the wrong reasons. Xenophobia. She cited safety reasons in pulling out of the pageant where she was steps away from making her biggest break in her modelling career. Nevertheless, she remains an admirable and talented fashion icon in Africa. This article takes a deeper and personal look at her nationality and modelling career among other interesting things.
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What is the Controversy About Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina?
Questions about her nationality have sparked a heated debate on social media since making it to the pageant’s finals. According to her account, Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina is South African by birth despite being born to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother. Her mother later became a South African through naturalization.
Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina a 23-year-old model whose nationality is being questioned. Photo/Woman and Home Magazine
Adetshina was born at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa in 2001. The model grew up in Mzansi and is currently an International Relations student at the University of Pretoria. She has defended herself stating that questions about her nationality are unfounded since she was born and bred in South Africa despite having parents of Nigerian and Mozambican descent.
Initially, organisers of Miss South Africa 2024 backed her until Monday, August 5 when social media pressure became unbearable. Leon Schreiber, the Home Affairs Minister issued a statement indicating that it was verifying her nationality following a request by the pageant organisers.
Preliminary findings from the probe found that Adetsina’s mother irregularly acquired her identity in 2001. Schreiber in a statement added that Adetsina is not liable for the mistakes that her mother made.
Is Chidimma Adetshina South African?
By law, Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina is South African by birth. Constitutionally, you are eligible for citizenship by:
- Birth
- Naturalization
Birth
You are eligible for citizenship if you are born in South Africa and one of your parents is a citizen. Additionally, you enjoy the same citizenship status if you are born elsewhere to parents of South African descent.
Model Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina.Photo/
Naturalization
You can become a South African citizen by naturalization only if you meet the following legal requirements.
- Must have lived in Mzansi for at least five years before applying for citizenship.
- Must have lived permanently in South Africa for at least two years if you are married to a citizen.
- Have a permanent residency permit.
- Maintain a continuous stay for the last five years. The constitution allows anyone applying for citizenship to be away for 90 days only within the last five years.
- Be a law-abiding citizen of good character and have no criminal record.
- Demonstrate a deep language proficiency in all allowed South African national languages.
Why Did Chidimma Vanessa Withdraw from Miss South Africa 2024?
The model cited security concerns for her and her family following a heightened online backlash by disgruntled quarters. She managed to earn a place among 11 finalists for the pageant scheduled to go down in Pretoria. Miss South Africa organisers thanked her for participating in the pageant and wished her the best following her decision to withdraw from the finals.
The organisers in a signed statement reiterated that they remain committed to diversity and inclusivity of all people.
“Miss South Africa celebrates South Africa’s rich and inclusive culture and diversity. We uphold the spirit of Ubuntu-Botho and are committed to contributing to the self-belief, self-confidence, and [fulfilment] of the aspirations of all girls and women in Africa and worldwide,” the statement read.
Stefanie De Saude, a first-rate immigration lawyer discounted the findings by South Africa’s Home Affairs department on Adetshina’s citizenship. Saude noted that anyone born in South Africa qualifies for citizenship.
The immigration lawyer asserted that it was wrong for the country’s Home Affairs ministry to probe the model’s nationality while it was evident that she is a bona fide citizen by birth. Further, Saude maintained that such an action by the department was discriminatory and violated the basic principles of human dignity and equality.
In addition, SA’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party defended the International Relations student arguing that Miss SA organisers exhibited discrimination and xenophobia in her case. The ruling political party, the African National Congress (ANC) also sought clarity over Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina citizenship.
FAQs
1. Is Adetshina married?
She is not married. She separated from her husband in February 2024 over what she cited as irreconcilable differences stemming from her ex-husband’s view of what a wife should do and not do.
2. Does she have a child?
She is a mother of one.
