Claim: A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) alleges that Nigerians in South Africa were planning to protest if Chidinma Adetshina was disqualified from the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant.
Verdict: The claim is false. The video shows a discussion about protests against President Bola Tinubu in Nigeria, unrelated to the Miss South Africa pageant or Adetshina.
Full Text
Chidimma Adetshina, a 23-year-old contestant in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant, was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent. Her participation in the pageant has stirred debate, largely due to anti-foreign sentiment in South Africa, which has a history of violence against immigrants.
The discord surrounding Ms Adetshina escalated when allegations emerged about her mother’s involvement in fraud and identity theft, which led to an investigation by the Home Affairs Ministry. This investigation uncovered potential fraudulent activities, although Ms Adetshina was not implicated in these actions as she was an infant at the time. Ms Adetshina eventually withdrew from the competition on August 8, 2024, citing concerns for her family’s safety.
A video related to this controversy circulated on social media with a claim that it depicted Nigerians in South Africa planning a protest if Adetshina was disqualified.
The post, shared by an X user @FonyokaPondoka, read: “Nigerians in South Africa say that they are planning to protest and fight if their Nigerian Chidinma is disqualified from entering the Miss South Africa pageant, even if it means through blood and sweat. They further claim that they have the support of the EFF.”
DUBAWA found that the video garnered 200,000 views, 540 reposts, 152 quotes, 800 likes, and 197 bookmarks.
A particularly striking aspect of the post was the comment section, where many South Africans expressed strong opinions.
For instance, @Kat4Kubs replied: “I really hope the official Miss South Africa understands the danger they have put South Africans in because of these animals.”
Similarly, @RamiM93263709 commented: “They ran away from their government to come here and sell drugs to our kids, and now they say they will fight us. This war has been pending for too long, mayiqale once.”
Another user, @Ngcwinam, who also believed the post, added: “They must tell us where they plan to protest so that we can meet them and defend our country from terrorists.”
The footage shows a group of men seated around a table, where food and water are served. At one point, the man filming shows his face and speaks in a language DUBAWA identified as non-English. The video also had text beneath it that did not indicate what the men were saying.
To clarify the accuracy of the claim, DUBAWA reviewed it.
Verification
The video in question was reviewed and found to be unrelated to the Miss South Africa pageant or Adetshin. The men are seen preparing a meal and making sarcastic comments about Tinubu’s leadership in the Igbo language. A key quote from the video, interpreted by a source that understands the language is:
“We are protesting against the leadership of Tinubu. We are having our protest here. Protest of one person, one full chicken. His leadership favours us. We Igbos say Tinubu’s leadership is good… The highest protest you can ever see.”
The video does not mention Adetshina or the Miss South Africa pageant.
The EFF, known for its stance on immigration and pan-Africanism, did not endorse or support any protest related to Adetshina. The party condemned xenophobic attacks but did not engage in any activities related to the video’s claim. A search on the official EFF website traced no information or endorsement of such a protest.
The crowning of a new Miss South Africa did not quell the debate, as social media soon became flooded with arguments about what was right or wrong. Many Nigerians perceived the removal as a reflection of xenophobia, particularly given the historical tensions surrounding immigration in South Africa. South Africans, on the other hand, defended the decision as a necessary measure based on the legal concerns surrounding Adetshina’s eligibility.
This back-and-forth quickly became a broader cultural debate on platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok, with both sides raising national pride, identity, and fairness issues. In such emotionally charged conversations, misinformation easily slips and raises tensions. False claims, doctored videos, and unverified reports can further inflame the situation, creating confusion and potentially leading to real-world consequences.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s review found that the video is unrelated to the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant or Chidinma Adetshina. Instead, it features a discussion about protests against Nigerian President Tinubu.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Prime Progress, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) falsely claimed that Nigerians in South Africa were planning to protest if Chidinma Adetshina was disqualified from the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant. Investigations revealed that the video actually depicted a discussion about protests against Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and had no connections to the pageant or Adetshina.
Adetshina, a contestant in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant, withdrew due to safety concerns following rising tensions and allegations against her mother. Her withdrawal led to a surge of debates on social media, often touching on xenophobia and national pride. Nonetheless, the allegations and the video were unrelated as confirmed by the fact-checking organization, DUBAWA.
Despite the video's misinterpretation, broader issues about immigration and xenophobia in South Africa remained hot topics on various social media platforms, highlighting the spread of misinformation and its potential real-world impact.
