Narratives of Belonging: The Case of Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina
Posted: 30 September, 2024 Filed under: Namatirayi Ngwasha, Zekhethelo Cele | Tags: Aliens Control Act of 1973, belonging, birth country, Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina, cultural authenticity, debate on identity, Department of Home Affairs, dual heritage, dual identities, heritage, human rights, identity fraud, Immigration Act in 2002, immigration laws, immigration policies, Miss South Africa pageant, national identity, nationality, race, second-generation migrants, social exclusion, socio-economic challenges, The South African Citizenship Act of 1995, tribal affiliations, xenophobic violence 6 Comments
Author: Zekhethelo Cele
LLM Candidate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina’s nationality has sparked a significant debate on identity, belonging, and representation between South Africa and Nigeria. Allegedly born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, Chidimma’s story resonates with many second-generation migrants who grapple with dual identities and the challenges of being fully accepted in their birth country while maintaining a connection to their heritage.
Recently crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, Chidimma’s journey has been marked by both triumph and controversy. Her participation in the Miss South Africa pageant faced backlash, with some South Africans questioning her nationality and prompting an investigation by the Department of Home Affairs. The Department suggested that Chidimma’s parents might have obtained South African citizenship fraudulently, with her mother allegedly using an identity number assigned to a South African woman. This led to Chidimma’s withdrawal from the Miss South Africa pageant and set the stage for her subsequent victory in Nigeria.
Xenophobia in South Africa: The time for introspection has come
Posted: 13 June, 2013 Filed under: Josua Loots | Tags: Africa, African Union, apartheid, constitution, foreign nationals, human rights, mob violence, rule of law, SAPS, South Africa, South African Constitution, xenophobia, xenophobic violence 9 Comments
Author: Josua Loots
Project Manager, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Xenophobia, just like so many other unsettling issues in South Africa, is gradually becoming part of the way in which we are perceived as a society. The newest upsurge in xenophobic violence clearly indicates that we have not made significant progress since the problem surfaced in 2008. More unsettling however, is the unwillingness of South Africans from all levels of society to acknowledge and address the problem – media houses neglect to conduct in-depth investigations, politicians fail to express their concern over the issue, the South African Police Service controversially fuels public perception through its involvement in incidents regarding foreign nationals, and civilians exercise mob executions with self-righteousness and pride.
The South African Constitution offers protection to citizens and non-citizens, and is one of few constitutions in the world that indisputably does so. The preamble of the Constitution reiterates South Africa’s commitment to uphold the rule of law, and this commitment greatly depends on consistent application of the law in South Africa. It is imperative that South Africans understand that our own claims on the protection of and rights entrenched in the Constitution depend on respecting the rights of others. Arbitrary mob killings of foreign nationals during the past five years suggest that South Africans struggle to come to terms that all people are equal before the law. Allegations of foreign nationals being involved in criminal activities often lead to mob justice, which is a dangerous step towards corroding the rule of law, and eventually the Constitution upon which our society so greatly depends.
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