The caption of the post also states that the men said they had the support of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a radical left-wing party that won 39 seats in parliament in South Africa’s presidential election on May 29, 2024.
The EFF is often associated with immigration issues because of its positive stance on Pan-Africanism and the abolition of borders on the continent (archived here).
The party condemned the “Afrophobic attacks” against Adetshina, but did not announce support for such a protest (archived here).
Unrelated images
AFP Fact Check’s Nigeria correspondent confirmed that the men in the video speak Igbo and sarcastically praise Tinubu’s leadership qualities.
“We are protesting against Tinubu’s leadership. We are holding our protest here. Protest of one person, one whole chicken. His leadership is in our favour. We Igbos say Tinubu’s leadership is good… The highest protest you can ever see.”
The video does not mention either the Miss South Africa beauty pageant or Adetshina.
The Igbo people are mainly from southeastern Nigeria and traditionally live from subsistence agriculture (archived here).
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group campaigning for independence in Nigeria’s southeastern region, warned the Igbo people on July 31, 2024, not to join anti-Tinubu protests planned for August. This was not as a show of support for the president, but to reinforce their call for a referendum on secession from the country (archived here ).
Nigerian security forces have cracked down on demonstrations sparked by economic hardship after thousands of people took to the streets on August 1 to protest government policies and the high cost of living (archived here).
Controversy over the beauty pageant
According to AFP, Adetshina, 23, who was due to compete in the Miss South Africa final this weekend, faced a barrage of online insults over her Nigerian heritage (archived here).
She previously told local media that she was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent.
Her participation in the election fueled anti-foreign sentiment in the country, which has a history of violent and sometimes deadly attacks on immigrants.
On August 7, further unrest arose during the election when the government accused Adetshina’s mother of fraud and identity theft.
A Department of Home Affairs investigation into her citizenship found “prima facie indications” that Adetshina’s mother may have committed fraud and stolen the identity of a South African woman after the Miss SA candidate was born, the department said (archived here).
“There are reasons to believe that fraud and identity theft were committed by the person registered in the archives of the Interior as the mother of Chidimma Adetshina,” said Interior Minister Leon Schreiber.
The ministry said it was considering legal advice on the implications for Adetshina’s citizenship, adding that the contestant had not taken part in the alleged unlawful acts because she was a baby at the time.
A day later, Adetshina announced her withdrawal from the competition (archived here).
“I have made the difficult decision to retire from competition for the safety of my family and myself,” she wrote on Instagram.
