By: Natasha Archary
Gold medallist, Udeme Okon has opened up about experiencing xenophobia in South Africa because his father is Nigerian.
The 18-year-old who won gold at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships, shared in a post-race interview that there’s a lot of xenophobia in his home country.
Despite being born in South Africa, Okon said even in the build-up to his race, he was on the receiving end of a lot of xenophobic retorts.
He said he would like people to be more accepting of people whose parents are mixed nationalities.
Okon expressed that South Africa has a lot of racism and xenophobia, and his comments have angered many in the country with some calling for him to be deported.
“Even in the build-up to this, there is a lot of xenophobia going on. There’s a lot of xenophobia and racism based on if you are from South Africa or not.
I feel like we should accept and welcome people into specific countries. No matter where they are from.”
The UJ student’s response to xenophobia comes on the back of the controversy surrounding Chidimma Adetshina’s nationality.
Adetshina who also has a Nigerian father, was subjected to intense backlash over her nationality as a finalist in the Miss SA 2024 pageant.
An investigation by Home Affairs into Adetshina’s nationality revealed that her mother, who claimed to be a South African, had allegedly committed fraud and identity theft to register her daughter at birth.
Prima facie evidence found that Adetshina’s mother allegedly stole another woman’s identity.
Home Affairs has issued Chidimma Adetshina’s mother a letter to explain how she came to possess the South African ID that she used.
