Gayton says he’ll apologise if Chidimma can prove SA citizenship

Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie has promised to apologise to Miss SA finalist Chidimma Adetshina if she can “prove” her South African citizenship.

The outspoken minister has come under fire over his “xenophobic” comments after he referred to the Soweto-born woman as a “Nigerian.”

In recent days, Chidimma has been subjected to social media attacks over her African lineage.

GAYTON MCKENZIE VOWS TO APOLOGISE IF HE IS ‘WRONG’

Speaking to Morning Live on Friday, 2 August, Gayton McKenzie elaborated on his stance concerning Miss SA contestant Chidimma Adetshina.

The 23-year-old – born in South Africa- has made headlines over her parentage, which includes a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent. According to the Miss SA organisers, they have thoroughly vetted all her identity documents and confirmed her SA citizenship.

Of his X posts – in which he labelled her a “Nigerian” – Gayton said: “The people who voted for me are confronting me as their leader to check if this woman is not a South African. 

“I said we can’t just make an accusation; we must check. I can’t be blamed [for being called xenophobic]; I went to check and hit a brick wall”.

Shifting the attention on to Chidimma, he asked, “Can’t she just produce [documents] and say she is South African? If she is South African, I will be the first person to apologise.”

KENNY KUNENE WANTS CHIDIMMA EXPELLED FROM MISS SA

While Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie has taken a more diplomatic stance, his deputy Kenny Kunene has courted controversy with his ignorant comments.

Speaking to Clement Manyathela on SABC’s Face The Nation, the former “Sushi King”’ revealed that the PA would be interdicting Chidimma from participating in the Miss SA pageant because she is “not South African enough.” 

He also found fault with a clip of her being embraced by foreign nationals – whom he claims she has an “allegiance to”  – and even mentioned a video, now dispelled as “fake news,” of a Nigerian man falsely credited as being Chidimma’s father.

Kunene also hinted that Chidimma’s identity documents could have been fraudulently acquired.

“Her full name is Nigerian….It’s a problem”, he brazenly said.

He added: “This girl is a Nigerian. There is nothing that gives us confidence that she is a South African. We want South African surnames there. We want Jacqui Mofokeng and Basetsana Kumalo, not what what”.