Former Miss South Africa contestant and Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, will have to wait until August 19 for a ruling on her bid to stop her deportation from South Africa after the Cape Town Regional Court adjourned the matter.
Adetshina appeared before the court on Monday to challenge the Department of Home Affairs’ decision to deport her following her arrest in Cape Town last month over allegations that she was residing in the country illegally.
The case was adjourned by the presiding magistrate, Reema Khorana, after hearing extensive arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
The Department of Home Affairs argued that Adetshina lacked the necessary documentation to legalise her stay in South Africa and maintained that her detention and deportation were justified.
The state also told the court that Adetshina remains in possession of a South African passport, which it claimed she has refused to surrender, while also acknowledging that she holds Nigerian citizenship.
However, her legal team urged the court to consider alternatives to detention and deportation, proposing that she be required to report to an immigration officer every two weeks while the matter is being resolved.
Adetshina, who was born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, first gained national attention during the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant before withdrawing amid controversy surrounding her family’s citizenship status.
Her withdrawal followed an investigation by South African authorities into allegations relating to her mother’s identity and citizenship documentation, a development that also triggered widespread social media attacks over her Nigerian heritage.
In August 2024, the South African government alleged that Adetshina’s mother may have been involved in identity theft.
Following her withdrawal from the Miss South Africa competition, Adetshina accepted an invitation to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, where she emerged as the winner and went on to represent Nigeria at the 73rd Miss Universe competition in Mexico City.
She finished as the first runner-up at the global pageant and was also crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania.
The court is expected to deliver its ruling on the deportation application when the matter resumes on August 19.