Some South Africans accused the singer of being upset that shows in the country had been cancelled.
Afrobeats Nigerian singer, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as ‘Burna Boy’, has been creating a buzz amongst netizens over his reaction to being crowned the newly crowned Miss South Africa 2024 on Sunday.
Burna Boy's reaction comes following Chidimma Adesina's withdrawal from the pageant just two days before the prestigious Miss South Africa pageant, which took place at the SunBet Arena, Time Square Casino, Tshwane on Saturday.
The Nigerian artist posted a photo of Mia Le Roux on his X-page, captioning it, “So after all that happened…” along with a laughing emoji.
Others thought this was an allusion to the irony of a white woman winning after South Africans struggled to get rid of “Nigerians” who did not represent them.
South Africans online have defended Le Roux, arguing that he is a South African who has not “committed identity theft.”
“Burna Boy hasn't forgiven South Africa for not buying tickets.”
Burna Boy’s response dug up the long-running feud between the singer and the late South African rapper Keenan “AKA” Forbes.
The feud between AKA and Burna Boy has been fuelled by ongoing altercations between Nigerians and South Africans that have often led to xenophobic disagreements between the two countries, with Nigerians accusing South Africans of xenophobic attacks against foreign African nationals.
South Africans have responded to Burna Boy's tweet with scathing comments.
One X user accused the singer of being upset that his shows in the country had been cancelled.
Related article: Ministry of Interior finds evidence of fraud by Chidimma Adesina’s mother
“Burna Boy hasn't forgiven South Africa for not buying tickets to his last cancelled show and his resentment is apparent in this tweet,” @B__master said.
According to SA Hip Hop MagazineThe show was postponed due to a variety of factors, including poor ticket sales, and the show was initially postponed from September 23 to December 16, 2023, but was then canceled altogether.
Another user warned Burna Boy about his stance on the issue, saying: “It's wrong to comment on this. Or maybe you've decided not to perform in South Africa anymore? They'll delete this tweet so no one buys your tickets.”
Related article: Miss South Africa 2024: New queen Mia Le Roux receives R1 million prize and more
Controversy surrounding Chidimma's participation in Miss South Africa
Adesina's participation in the beauty pageant sparked widespread debate about her suitability to represent the country, with some critics questioning her South African identity and eligibility to be the face of the country, given that her father is from Nigeria.
Further controversy arose when it was revealed that Adecina's mother is of Mozambican descent, leading to an investigation by authorities into the matter, which revealed possible identity fraud by her mother.
The Department of Home Affairs said an investigation into the model's South African nationality had prima facie uncovered evidence.
See also: Chidimma Adesina invited to participate in Miss Universe Nigeria pageant [VIDEO]
Tyra faces criticism for supporting Chidimma
Grammy Award-winning singer Tyra also came under fire on Saturday after expressing her “disappointment” at the model's withdrawal from the Miss South Africa contest.
“I'm sorry this happened to her but I wish her the best! Best of luck!” Tyra wrote on her X-page.
Her tweet sparked outrage from South Africans who disagreed with her stance on the issue, which prompted Tyra to tweet an explanation, saying she stood by South Africa but would not tolerate “bullying”.
Related article: Mia Le Roux crowned Miss South Africa 2024
“I will always stand with South Africa, I just think that regardless of opinion… she was bullied and I don't agree with that,” she said.
In response to the tweet, some expressed “disappointment” that Tyra voiced her perspective on the situation, while others praised her for her position.
