Miss South Africa 2024 has turned out to be one of the most dramatic pageants ever. Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina, a strong contender, withdrew from the competition after facing intense bullying and public scrutiny over her nationality.
The situation worsened when a fraud case involving her mother was uncovered, adding fuel to the fire.
The main reason behind Adetshina's struggle was her Nigerian heritage. Born to a Nigerian father, she faced discrimination from some South Africans, who questioned her eligibility for the competition.
The noise quelled after her withdrawal but reignited on Saturday night when the organisers announced Mia Le Roux as the winner.
Le Roux’s win quickly went viral, with many celebrating her success. However, the joy wasn't universal. Nigerians, in particular, were outraged, accusing South Africans of bullying out a black contestant to crown a white queen.
Even Grammy-winning Nigerian musician Burna Boy weighed in. Known for his tense relationship with South Africa, he took to Twitter to express his thoughts, sarcastically commenting, "So after all that...", followed by laughing emojis.
😂😂So After ALL that.. ……. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/reNfDe9N12
— Burna Boy (@burnaboy) August 11, 2024
The comments got pretty heated, @S_Carter_ZA wrote: “Relax you were nobody until you came to South Africa 🇿🇦 @akaworldwide made you famous that's when your own country started to take you serious....sit down you even stole my song and sample it then make it your own when you released ‘Time flies’ you're not talent Mr Sampler....🥴”
Relax you were nobody until you came to South Africa 🇿🇦 @akaworldwide made you famous that's when your own country started to take you serious....sit down you even stole my song and sample it then make it your own when you released "Time flies" you're not talent Mr Sampler....🥴
— Sting Carter (@S_Carter_ZA) August 12, 2024
@B__master wrote: “Burna Boy hasn't forgiven South Africa for not buying his tickets on his last show that was cancelled. this tweet of his got bitterness all over it.”
Burna Boy hasn't forgiven South Africa for not buying his tickets on his last show that was canceled. this tweet of his got bitterness all over it. pic.twitter.com/pDdMSYazD3
@unclescrooch wrote: “You make a mistake by commenting on this stuff. Or maybe you’ve made the choice to never perform in SA🇿🇦 again? They will pull out this tweet to make sure no one buys your tickets.”
You make a mistake by commenting on this stuff. Or maybe you’ve made the choice to never perform in SA🇿🇦 again? They will pull out this tweet to make sure no one buys your tickets. pic.twitter.com/zr7UlWosml
— 𝗢𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗲 🔥🚀 (@unclescrooch) August 11, 2024