Former Miss South Africa finalist and Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina is continuing her legal battle against efforts to detain and deport her from South Africa.
The Cape Town Regional Court on August 19, 2026, postponed proceedings in the case until February 27, 2027. The court said it could not determine the matter while a separate review application concerning Adetshina’s immigration and citizenship status remains before the Western Cape High Court.
Adetshina has maintained that she was born in South Africa and has taken the appropriate legal steps to establish her citizenship and immigration status.
Speaking after the latest court proceedings, she said she believed she had been treated unfairly and targeted during the dispute.
“I remind everyone that I was born in South Africa,” Adetshina said, while expressing confidence in the country’s judicial system. She also urged people not to allow xenophobia and misinformation to influence how individuals are treated, calling for the principles of Ubuntu to guide the process.
The South African Department of Home Affairs, however, maintains that Adetshina does not currently have valid legal status in the country following the revocation of her citizenship and related documents. Authorities are seeking her detention while the deportation process is pursued.
Her lawyers have challenged that position, arguing that she was born in South Africa, has strong connections to the country and should be given an opportunity to regularise her immigration status. The legal team is also challenging the decisions made by Home Affairs through a separate High Court application.
The latest stage of the dispute follows Adetshina’s arrest in June 2026 after authorities alleged that she had unlawfully entered South Africa through the Lebombo border from Mozambique. She was subsequently released on warning and has remained outside detention while the legal proceedings continue.
The controversy surrounding Adetshina’s nationality is not new. It became widely known during the 2024 Miss South Africa competition, when questions were raised about her citizenship and the status of her mother’s documentation.
Adetshina was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother. The dispute over her mother’s identity and citizenship documents eventually led to an investigation by South African authorities. Adetshina herself has maintained that she should not be held responsible for alleged irregularities that occurred when she was a child.
Following the controversy, Adetshina withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition. She later participated in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, where she won the national title and represented Nigeria at Miss Universe 2024. She went on to finish as first runner-up at the international competition.
Her success in Nigeria did not end the questions surrounding her South African status, however, and the issue has now developed into a major legal dispute involving citizenship, immigration and deportation.
The latest court proceedings also attracted protests outside the Cape Town Regional Court. Members of anti-immigration group Operation Dudula called for Adetshina to leave South Africa and be deported to Nigeria.
The case has consequently become part of a wider national debate about immigration, citizenship, xenophobia and the rights of people with connections to more than one country.
For now, Adetshina remains out of detention as her legal challenges continue. The outcome of the Western Cape High Court review could play an important role in determining whether the deportation process can proceed.
Her next major court appearance is scheduled for February 27, 2027, meaning the long-running dispute over her legal status is set to continue well into next year.
Source: Thepressradio.com
