A growing number of South Africans, over 1,400, have signed a petition calling for the removal of 23-year-old Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina from the Miss South Africa 2024 beauty pageant. The controversy surrounds Adetshina’s Nigerian heritage, as she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent.

Adetshina, a law student based in Cape Town, is one of the top 13 contestants vying for the Miss SA crown. However, her participation has sparked debate after she removed the Nigerian and Mozambican flags from her TikTok profile earlier this week.

Additionally, Adetshina’s status as a divorced mother has raised eyebrows, although Miss SA’s updated rules in 2022 allow divorced and married women to compete.

Despite the backlash, the Miss South Africa pageant has confirmed that Adetshina meets their criteria, possessing a valid South African ID.

The petition highlights concerns about Adetshina’s eligibility and sparks a broader conversation about identity, heritage, and representation in the Miss SA pageant.