Former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has returned to court in South Africa as legal proceedings over the government’s attempt to deport her resumed on Thursday.
The 25-year-old beauty queen appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court, where the South African government is seeking to remove her from the country over allegations that she is residing there without valid immigration status.
Adetshina has been embroiled in a prolonged immigration dispute since her arrest in Cape Town in June.
During Thursday’s proceedings, she presented an affidavit outlining the efforts she has made to regularise her immigration status in South Africa.
According to TheCable, the filing forms part of her legal bid to stop the deportation process.
The court, however, did not conclude the matter, adjourning the case until Monday to allow the South African government file its response to her submissions.
Adetshina first became the subject of public attention in South Africa during her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant, when questions surrounding her nationality generated widespread controversy.
The debate eventually prompted her withdrawal from the competition, with the beauty queen citing concerns over her safety and that of her family.
She subsequently accepted an invitation from the Silverbird Group to participate in the 2024 Miss Universe Nigeria pageant.
Adetshina went on to win the competition before representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant, where she finished as the first runner-up, achieving Nigeria’s highest-ever placement at the international contest.
Born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Nigerian father of Igbo origin and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina’s citizenship status has remained under legal scrutiny.
An affidavit submitted by immigration officer Adrian Jackson stated that investigations conducted by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs concluded that Adetshina and her minor son were residing in the country without lawful immigration status.
According to Jackson, immigration officials carried out residential inspections and interviewed the former beauty queen before determining that she lacked valid documentation permitting her to remain in South Africa.
He argued that her continued presence in the country contravened provisions of South Africa’s Immigration Act and urged the court to authorise her continued detention pending deportation.
The ongoing legal battle follows an earlier decision by South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, who in March rejected Adetshina’s application seeking a review of the department’s refusal to issue her a letter of good cause.
Schreiber stated that the Department of Home Affairs had informed Adetshina in September 2024 of its intention to revoke both her identity documents and those of her son but claimed she failed to respond to the notice.
The minister further alleged that Adetshina obtained a Nigerian passport before applying for a South African visitor’s visa using what authorities described as a fraudulent bank statement, resulting in the rejection of the application.
According to Schreiber, she was officially declared a prohibited person on December 19, 2024, rendering her ineligible to obtain any visa or immigration permit to remain in South Africa.
He also alleged that Adetshina later returned to South Africa through the Lebombo border from Mozambique while presenting herself as a South African citizen before seeking further immigration relief.
Schreiber added that her son’s immigration application was equally refused because it was linked to hers and the child had no independent legal basis to remain in the country.
The matter is expected to resume on Monday after the South African government files its responding affidavits.
