Gayton McKenzie weighs in on Miss SA finalist drama
"We truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition."
The Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has shared his view on the current Miss South Africa drama.
The drama involves Chidinma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina's nationality. The model's father is Nigerian and her mother is South African with Mozambican roots. The contestant, who calls herself Chichi on social media, is a South African citizen and is currently in the top 11 of the Miss SA competition.
Chichi's nationality became a talking point on social media, with some people saying she should not be allowed to participate in the beauty competition.
The Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture has now weighed in on the debate.
Popular X user, Chris Excel, directed their Tweet to Gayton: "How do you feel about this Miss SA shandis my My Goat..?"
Gayton responded: "I just returned from Paris and will definitely get more information tomorrow, we truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition. I wanna get all facts before I comment but it gives funny vibes already."
I just returned from Paris and will definitely get more information tomorrow, we truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition. I wanna get all facts before I comment but it gives funny vibes already. https://t.co/KQ6K0MT6aG
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 29, 2024
Gayton is not the only politician to weigh in on the matter.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also joined the debate.
A video went viral showing Chichi wearing the Miss SA belt surrounded by some males dressed in Nigerian traditional clothing in what seemed like a celebration.
“This young woman is compromising herself by identifying with characters who are likely in South Africa illegally. Bad idea,” Mashaba said on X.
Another politician who joined in on the debate is EFF leader Julius Malema.
In one of his party's podcast interviews last week, Malema said Chichi should not be discriminated against based on the nationality of her parents.
“Your citizenship is determined by where you were born, so if she was born here, she’s South African. It doesn’t matter. She’s not her parents, she’s herself. So why say she’s from Nigeria or Mozambique? She was born here,” he said.
“We cannot punish people based on where their parents come from. I’ve not followed the debate closely, but I would assume Miss SA has done the necessary due diligence and determined she is a suitable candidate. These are issues stirred up by those who spread hate among Africans. Such people should not be supported,” he said.
READ: Miss SA contestant's nationality causes social media uproar
This young woman is compromising herself identifying with these characters who are likely in South Africa illegally.
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) July 30, 2024
Bad idea. https://t.co/oVdJBQ8yxf
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