Julius Malema Defends Miss SA Finalist Chidimma Adetshina
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has come to the defence of Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina against xenophobic attacks.
Julius Malema asserted that Chidimma Adetshina is as South African as any other citizen. He stressed that Chidimma’s citizenship is determined by her place of birth, not her parents’ origins.
Also Read: Miss SA Contestant Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina Faces Xenophobic Backlash Over Nationality
Xenophobic Backlash Surrounds Chidimma Adetshina’s Miss SA Candidacy
Chidimma Adetshina, whose Nigerian and Mozambican ancestry has sparked controversy on social media, has been the subject of xenophobic comments.
Since disclosing that her father is Nigerian and her mother is a South African with Mozambican roots, Chidimma has faced backlash.
Despite this, both the pageant organizers and Adetshina herself have maintained that she meets the competition’s eligibility criteria. The controversy has led to calls from many South Africans for her removal from the beauty pageant.
A petition calling for her withdrawal from the Miss SA pageant is currently circulating on social media. The petition has since garnered over 7,600 signatures.
Julius Malema Defends Miss SA Finalist Chidimma Adetshina
In a recent episode of the EFF Podcast, Julius Malema came to Chidimma’s defence. He emphasized that Chidimma Adetshina’s place of birth determines her citizenship.
“Your citizenship is determined by where you were born. So, if she was born here, she is South African. It doesn’t matter. She is not her parents; she is herself. So why do you say she’s from Nigeria or she’s from Mozambique? She was born here.”
“We cannot punish people on the basis of where their parents come from,” he stated.
Malema condemned the criticism as xenophobic and aimed at spreading hatred among African people
“The criticism is engineered by those who are spreading hatred among African people.
“We should support humanity and everywhere else you find a black person”.