Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina is a contestant in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant.

The 23-year-old has recently been at the center of a controversy in social media due to her Nigerian and Mozambican heritage, despite being born at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and raised in South Africa.

“My dad is a proud Nigerian, and my mother was born and raised in South Africa but has roots from Mozambique. My mom’s family still lives in Soweto, and I visit them from time to time,” she told Sowetan SMag.

Chidimma’s father is Nigerian, and her mother has roots in Mozambique, hence the raised debate about her eligibility to represent South Africa.

Chidimma’s rejection started the moment she qualified for the top 30 list of contestants. But despite that backlash, Chidimma has continued to compete and is currently among the top 16 finalists.

The Miss South Africa organization has confirmed that she meets all the necessary criteria to participate.

Despite the criticism, Chidimma has received support from various quarters, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who have condemned the attacks against her as xenophobic.

“This situation reflects remnants of apartheid and colonization, where divisive ideologies continue to plague our society. It is particularly troubling that previous contestants of foreign descent did not face similar scrutiny when they were white or Asian, such as Vanessa Carreira, whose parents are Portuguese and Angolan, highlighting a blatant case of Afrophobia,” the EFF party said.

She remains a strong contender in the competition, which will conclude on August 10, 2024.