South Africa’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ronald Lamola, has dismissed concerns that the citizenship controversy surrounding Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina has strained diplomatic relations with Nigeria.
Lamola emphasized that South Africa’s ties with Nigeria remain strong and continue to deepen, despite the incident, according to Politics Nigeria.
Recall that Chidimma, born in South Africa to a Nigerian father, withdrew from the pageant after an investigation revealed her Mozambican mother may have fraudulently obtained residency status in South Africa.
The incident sparked outrage among Nigerians and other Africans, particularly after a Caucasian contestant was declared the winner.
However, Lamola clarified that the issue was solely related to eligibility and pageant rules, and should not be seen as a reflection of South Africa’s diplomatic relations with Nigeria.
Lamola, however, said the storm around the nationality of 23-year-old Chidimma related purely to eligibility and the Miss South Africa pageant rules.
“Our diplomatic relations with Nigeria remain very strong, including at the cultural level, the continuous cultural exchanges.
“And obviously from time to time, there will, such challenges will be addressed when there are merits and demerits as and when they arise.
“Those are things related to that process and should not be interpreted to mean that it’s outside or it’s a reflection on South Africa’s foreign diplomatic relations with Nigeria,” he said.
