Adetshina’s deportation case postponed as South African protesters demand her return to Nigeria

The Cape Town Regional Court has adjourned proceedings over the immigration status of former Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, Chidinma Adetshina, as protesters demand that she be sent back to Nigeria.

Ms Adetshina appeared before the court on Wednesday to seek to stop authorities from detaining her over her immigration status.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that she submitted an affidavit explaining the measures she had taken to regularise her status in South Africa.

IOL, a South African news platform, reported that the court postponed the matter to 27 February 2027. Following the hearing, Ms Adetshina again said she was born in South Africa.

She further alleged that the authorities were trying to make an example of her through the case.

“I want to remind everyone that I was born in South Africa. I have applied through the proper legal channels to determine my status and citizenship,” Ms Adetshina said.

She said authorities should not allow xenophobia and misinformation to shape decisions about how people are treated.

Protest

The anti-migrant group March and March staged the peaceful protest during Ms Adetshina’s court appearance, calling for her return to Nigeria. The group has been campaigning for the removal of undocumented migrants from South Africa.

The protesters held placards with various messages and pursued Ms Adetshina’s vehicle as she drove away from the courthouse.

Ms Adetshina’s deportation proceedings began in June after immigration officers arrested her in Cape Town over allegations that she was unlawfully residing in the country, as previously reported by this newspaper.

She subsequently appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court following her arrest in Summer Greens. The court released her on a warning and adjourned the case while the Department of Home Affairs continued its efforts to deport her.

Backstory

The deportation case against Ms Adetshina came less than two years after her Nigerian heritage drew widespread scrutiny and backlash during her participation in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant.

Ms Adetshina was born in Soweto to an Igbo Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother. She reached the Top 30 of the Miss South Africa contest before questions surrounding her heritage triggered growing controversy.

The Miss Universe Nigeria organisers subsequently invited her to represent Taraba State. She won the Nigerian title and later represented the country at the Miss Universe 2024 competition in Mexico.

Her latest court appearance followed evidence presented by immigration officer Adrian Jackson, who submitted documents indicating that the Department of Home Affairs’ Central Law Enforcement Unit had located her.

Mr Jackson said Ms Adetshina and her young son were residing in South Africa without valid immigration documentation.

He also told the court that he knew Ms Adetshina from a previous investigation. Mr Jackson said immigration officials checked her personal information against the department’s electronic database before conducting an interview to determine her immigration status.