Former Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, Chidimma Adetshina, has appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court as she seeks to challenge efforts by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs to deport her.
Her court appearance followed an application filed by her legal team contesting the legality of the deportation process.
Adetshina was reportedly arrested in June after South African Home Affairs authorities alleged that she entered the country illegally.
She was later brought before the court as the legal process over her possible deportation continued.
The case marks the latest development in the immigration dispute involving the former Miss South Africa finalist.
Adetshina was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother.
She had earlier entered the Miss South Africa 2024 competition but withdrew from the pageant following controversy over her family’s citizenship status.
Her withdrawal came after South African authorities opened an investigation into allegations relating to her mother’s identity and citizenship documents.
In August 2024, the Department of Home Affairs said Adetshina’s mother may have been involved in identity theft.
The matter triggered intense public debate and widespread social media attacks against Adetshina, largely linked to her Nigerian heritage.
This happened despite reports that she was born in South Africa and had met the eligibility requirements for the Miss South Africa contest.
Following her withdrawal from the South African pageant, Adetshina accepted an invitation to compete in Miss Universe Nigeria.
She later won the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 crown and represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe 2024 competition.
At the global pageant, she finished as first runner-up and was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania.
The achievement made her one of Nigeria’s most prominent beauty queens on the international stage.
Adetshina’s legal team is expected to submit an affidavit before the court.
The affidavit is expected to detail steps she has taken to regularise her stay in South Africa as she seeks to stop the deportation process.
The case continues to attract public attention because of its links to immigration, citizenship, identity documentation and the debate over nationality in South African pageantry.
