The Department of Home Affairs has tried to explain the position of Miss SA contestant Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina, whose nationality saga has been hogging the headlines after she entered the top 30 of the competition.
This came after it was revealed that Adetshina’s father was ostensibly Nigerian while the 23-year-old’s mother was believed to be from Mozambique.
The contestant has been the target of social media users who believe that she should not be competing since both her parents are allegedly not from SA.
Others have defended her, saying that by virtue of her being born in the country, she was eligible to compete, because she was South African.
In a statement this week, the organisers of the contest confirmed that Adetshina met the requirements to compete.
“All documentation provided by the entrants is screened and vetted.
Chidimma is a South African citizen, her mother is South African, and her father is Nigerian,” read the statement.
While the department failed to respond to questions from Independent Media, speaking on national radio, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza – in spite of attempts to get out of the conversation – discussed the question of who is South African.
Nzuza said: “It is commonly acquired either by soil or by blood. When we say soil, it’s because you are born in that country, and then you become a citizen. One country which has adopted this is America, whereby if you are born there, you become a US citizen.
“In SA, you get citizenship by blood. One of your parents must be a South African to qualify.”
This means the law negates Adetshina’s validity as a South African if her parents are from Nigeria and Mozambique.
In the same light, considering her age, it suggests she might have entered the country with her father in 2010, which nullifies her SA citizenship.
Independent Media’s attempts to contact Ben Dlamini, who is alleged to be her father, to confirm his identity came to naught.
Cape Times