A strong contender in the Miss South Africa beauty pageant has withdrawn from the competition just days to the finals over the controversy around her citizenship.

Chidimma Adetshina, 23, said she had made the “difficult decision” to protect herself and her family a day after the home affairs ministry said her mother may have stolen a South African woman’s identity.

The question of whether Adetshina is South African had gripped the country for weeks, with politicians, celebrities and talk shows wading in on both sides, while the law student experienced a vicious torrent of xenophobic abuse.

Despite Adetshina publicly stating she had been born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and South African mother with “Mozambican roots”, it failed to stem the tide of questions.

On the request of Miss SA organisation, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber, began an investigation of Adetshina’s citizenship with her and her mum’s consent.

The investigation suggest  that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in home affairs records as Chidimma Adetshina’s mother.”

“An innocent South African mother, whose identity may have been stolen as part of the alleged fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother, suffered as a result because she could not register her child,” the statement said, adding that Adetshina herself was not implicated as she had been an infant at the time, in 2001.

Without addressing the allegation directly, Adetshina in an Instagram post said: “After much careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw myself from the competition for the safety and wellbeing of my family and I.

“With the full support of the Miss South Africa Organisation, I leave with a heart full of gratitude for this amazing experience.”

South Africa has experienced numerous outbreaks of violence against African immigrants since the end of apartheid, with high unemployment and crime fuelling xenophobia.

The organisation shared a statement on its social media platform, “In light of recent events, 2024 Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Miss South Africa competition.

“We wish Chidimma all of the very best and success in all her endeavours. Miss South Africa celebrates South Africa’s rich and inclusive culture and diversity.

Miss South Africa pageant holds on Saturday August 10 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.