‘She is South African’ – Pearl Thusi backs Miss SA finalist amid nationality controversy [Video]

Media personality Pearl Thusi has expressed strong support for Miss SA 2024 finalist Chidimma Adetsina, who is facing scrutiny over her nationality.

Multiple social media users have alleged that Adetsina is not South African, questioning her eligibility in the competition.

In a video that has since made rounds on social media, Thusi emphasised that Adetsina is South African also suggesting that she is getting the backlash because she is not white.

“She was born and raised in South Africa, therefore she is South African. She can’t call Nigeria home even though her parents may be Nigerian or wherever they may be from, that is beside the point.

“If she was a white girl and she was half French, you guys might have never even noticed. But because her name is what it is, now it’s a big deal.

You guys have people from cricket teams, parliament, and different sectors of the South African ecosystem whose parents are not South African but they were born here, but this girl has to suffer because she is black and she is female and it’s the pageant.”

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In her intro video for the Miss SA 2024 competition, Adetsina said she hails from Cape Town.

She also told Sowetan in a recent interview that she is proudly South African.

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A post shared by Chidimma Adetshina (@chichi_vanessa)

‘All the Miss South Africa Top 30 contestants met the eligibility requirements’

A few weeks ago, the Miss SA organisation confirmed to The Citizen that Adetsina, along with other finalists, met the requirements of the competition.

“The Miss South Africa 2024 eligibility requirements state that an applicant must be a South African citizen and in possession of a valid South African ID document or passport. If the applicant holds dual citizenship, they must provide details of both.

All the Miss South Africa Top 30 contestants met these requirements,” the organisation said.

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