Fresh Twist As Chidimma Adetshina Battles Deportation In South Africa

Adetshina appeared before the court after her legal team filed an application challenging the legality of the deportation process initiated by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs.

The case marks the latest development in the immigration dispute involving the beauty queen, who first gained prominence as a finalist in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant before withdrawing amid controversy.

Her lawyers are seeking to halt any deportation action while the court determines the legality of the proceedings against her.

According to reports, Adetshina was arrested in June after the Department of Home Affairs alleged that she was residing in South Africa illegally. She has since remained at the centre of an ongoing legal battle over her immigration status.

As part of her defence, Adetshina’s legal team is expected to file an affidavit outlining the steps she has taken to regularise her stay in the country. They are asking the court to prevent authorities from deporting her until all legal issues surrounding her residency have been resolved.

The dispute stems from the controversy that erupted during the Miss South Africa 2024 competition.

Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina initially qualified as one of the pageant’s finalists. However, she later withdrew after questions emerged over her family’s citizenship status.

The controversy intensified after South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs launched an investigation into allegations involving her mother’s identity and citizenship documents.

In August 2024, the department alleged that Adetshina’s mother may have been linked to identity theft, triggering widespread debate over the beauty queen’s eligibility for the competition and her legal right to remain in South Africa.

The issue also sparked intense backlash on social media, with critics questioning her South African identity because of her Nigerian heritage, despite the fact that she was born in the country and had initially met the pageant’s eligibility requirements.

Following her withdrawal from Miss South Africa, Adetshina accepted an invitation to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant, where she emerged as the winner and went on to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe 2024 competition.

She later finished as the first runner-up at the global contest and was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, earning international recognition and cementing her status as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated beauty queens.

The proceedings before the Cape Town Regional Court now represent another significant chapter in her legal battle to remain in South Africa.

Her legal team maintains that the affidavit detailing her efforts to regularise her immigration status will strengthen her case against deportation. The court’s eventual decision is expected to determine whether Adetshina will be allowed to stay in South Africa or face removal from the country.