Former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has returned to a South African court as legal proceedings over the government’s bid to deport her continue.
The 25-year-old appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court on Thursday, where she submitted an affidavit outlining efforts she said she had made to regularise her immigration status in South Africa.
The court adjourned the matter until Monday to allow the South African government to respond to her submissions.
Adetshina’s legal battle began after she was arrested in Cape Town in June over allegations that she was living in the country without valid immigration documents.
The case follows a citizenship controversy that emerged during her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant. Questions surrounding her nationality prompted her to withdraw from the competition, citing concerns about her safety and that of her family.
She later accepted an invitation to contest the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, which she won before representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe competition, where she finished as first runner-up.
According to court documents filed by immigration officer Adrian Jackson, investigations by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs found that Adetshina and her minor son were residing in the country without lawful immigration status.
Jackson told the court that “residency inspections and interviews established that she did not possess valid documentation to remain in South Africa,” adding that her continued stay contravenes the country’s Immigration Act.
The South African government is seeking to keep her in custody pending the outcome of the deportation process.
Earlier this year, South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, rejected Adetshina’s request to review the department’s refusal to issue her a letter of good cause.
Schreiber said “the department notified Adetshina in September 2024 of its intention to cancel her identity documents and those of her son, but she failed to respond.”
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. He said the application was rejected and that she was declared a prohibited person on December 19, 2024.
Schreiber also alleged that “she later re-entered South Africa through the Lebombo border from Mozambique while presenting herself as a South African citizen.”
The court is expected to resume hearing the matter on Monday after the government files its response to Adetshina’s affidavit.
