By Evans Dakwa
In a classic case of a child suffering for the sins of parents, Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina must be one distraught young woman right now. All she wanted was a shot at her dream of becoming a catwalk Queen but alas it was not to be. She has hogged the limelight for all the wrong reasons, non of which is of her own making, a victim of circumstances.
Instead of the focus being on her beauty and abilities on the ramp, she has found herself embroiled in bitter vicious saga that questions the nationality she has identified with since her birth.
Chidimma Adetshina, 23, has been the subject of vicious, xenophobic attacks on social media since she was announced as a finalist in Miss South Africa in July, with many, including cabinet ministers, questioning her credentials. The attacks on her have been unrelenting and there are no signs of them abating especially after the statement by the South African Department of Home Affairs affirming they have reasons to believe there is a genuine case of identity theft by the beauty queen’s mother.
“From the information we have uncovered thus far, the Department of Home Affairs can indicate that prima facie reasons exist to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Chidimma Adetshina’s mother”
“Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as she was an infant at the time when the activities took place in 2001.”
This statement does put a whole twist to the saga and the xenophobes must be salivating preparing to land the killer blow to the young lady. Whilst illegalities can never be condoned, the African spirit of ubuntu cannot allow the battering of this young lady who finds herself a victim of circumstances she did not create. South Africa is generally known for being xenophobic, the irony though is, their xenophobic eyes only see blacks not Indians nor whites, one wonders if Chidimma was white, would the reaction have been the same!?