South Africa moves to strip pageant queen Chidimma Adetshina of ID documents

On October 29, 2024, the government said it was cancelling Adetshina and her mother’s identification documents after they missed the deadline they set. This was announced by the Home Affairs Director General Tommy Makhode at the parliamentary committee on Tuesday.

“We have not received any response, and therefore the department will be proceeding with the withdrawal of those documents in line with the Identification Act,” Makhode said.

Recall that Adetshina, who has a Nigerian father, withdrew from the Miss South Africa beauty pageant in August 2024 due to the backlash she received from South Africans over claims she was not South African. Due to the severity of the accusations, an official investigation was launched into her citizenship and claims that her mother may have stolen the identity of a South African woman.

After withdrawing from the Miss South Africa pageant, the Silverbird Group, which organises the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, extended an invitation to Chidimma, and she accepted to contest in the pageant, which she eventually won.

Adetshina and her mother were then given until Monday, October 29, 2024, to provide reasons why their national identification documents should not be cancelled; however, they missed their deadline.