South Africans have shared mixed reactions to Chidimma Adetshina’s achievement as first runner-up at the 73rd Miss Universe competition, held on Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico.
The 23-year-old beauty queen found herself at the center of a citizenship controversy during her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant. Although born and raised in South Africa, her mother is Mozambican, and her father is Nigerian.
In August, Adetshina was forced to withdraw from the Miss South Africa pageant after the Department of Home Affairs alleged that her parents had committed identity fraud to obtain South African citizenship for her around the time of her birth.
Progressive Forces for South Africa and other organizations petitioned the Miss Universe organization to disqualify her, while Home Affairs announced its intent to revoke her South African identity and travel documents.
As congratulatory messages pour in from Nigerians and other Africans, South Africans have offered a range of reactions. Some credited her success to the education and opportunities she received in South Africa, while others expressed satisfaction that she didn’t win the top title, referring to her as the “first loser.”
However, Adetshina’s supporters, including Thuso Van Zyl, celebrated her achievement as a victory for justice, with Van Zyl calling it “a triumph of good over evil.”
