South Africa’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ronald Lamola, has clarified that the citizenship controversy involving Miss South Africa contestant, Chidimma Adetshina does not affect diplomatic relations between South Africa and Nigeria. Lamola emphasized that South Africa’s relationship with Nigeria remains robust and continues to strengthen despite recent tensions. The social media uproar arose when Adetshina, who was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father, withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant following an investigation into her mother’s Mozambican residency status, which was found to be potentially fraudulent.
The controversy, which also included the selection of a Caucasian winner, led to significant backlash from Nigerians and other Africans on social media. However, Lamola stressed that the debate surrounding Adetshina’s eligibility was related strictly to the pageant’s rules and should not be seen as a reflection of South Africa’s diplomatic ties with Nigeria. “These matters pertain solely to the pageant’s eligibility criteria and should not be misconstrued as affecting our diplomatic relations with Nigeria,” Lamola said.
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