South Africa to strip pilloried beauty queen of ID documents

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is stripping a would-be Miss South Africa contestant, who was at the centre of a row over her nationality, of her national identity papers, the government said.

Chidimma Adetshina, 23, withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant in August amid a torrent of abuse over allegations she was not South African which prompted an official investigation into her citizenship.

The government said Tuesday it was cancelling Adetshina and her mother's identification documents after they missed a deadline to justify keeping them.

The law student was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father but faced a backlash that exposed anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa.

Her Nigerian heritage attracted vicious xenophobic attacks when she was announced as a Miss South Africa finalist.

The furore drew in ministers, with the government saying it was investigating a claim that her mother may have stolen the identity of a South African woman.

Adetshina and her mother were given until Monday to provide reasons why their national identification documents should not be cancelled, Home Affairs Director General Tommy Makhode told a 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.

Adetshina said at the time that she was withdrawing from the South African competition for her and her family's "safety and wellbeing".

She flew in September to Nigeria where she won a Miss Universe pageant after being welcomed in the country with open arms.

She will be competing in the Miss Universe 2024 competition in Mexico on November 16 where she will represent Nigeria.

South Africa and Nigeria, the continent's two economic heavyweights, have a long-held rivalry, with tensions spilling over into sports, music, regional political influence and even ride-sharing apps.