Former Miss Universe Chidimma Adetshina Fights Deportation In Court After Being Arrested
Chidimma Adetshina, a former Miss South Africa candidate and Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 winner, has appeared in Cape Town Regional Court to fight her deportation from South Africa after being arrested on suspicion of being in the country unlawfully.
Adetshina is scheduled to file an affidavit with the court describing the efforts she has made to regularise her immigration status since her detention on June 6.
The court hearings are the latest move in the immigration case involving the beauty queen, whose nationality sparked heated public controversy during her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa contest.
Adetshina, born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, initially competed for the Miss South Africa 2024 title before withdrawing due to controversy about her family’s citizenship status.
Her withdrawal came after South African officials launched an investigation amid suspicions about her mother’s identity and citizenship documents.
The dispute also triggered massive social media assaults against Adetshina due to her Nigerian ethnicity, even though she was born in South Africa and had met the eligibility standards for the beauty pageant.
The South African government announced in August 2024 that Adetshina’s mother, who was a Miss South Africa finalist at the time, may have been implicated in identity theft.
Despite the incident, Adetshina maintained her pageant career beyond South Africa. She later accepted an invitation to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, where she represented Taraba State and won, earning the right to represent Nigeria in the worldwide Miss Universe competition.
Her participation on behalf of Nigeria was momentous. At the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City, Adetshina became the first Nigerian participant to finish as first runner-up, marking Nigeria’s highest-ever placement in the international beauty event.
In November 2024, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) praised Adetshina for her remarkable performance in the Miss Universe pageant.
The panel highlighted that, despite being rejected in South Africa, she seized the opportunity to represent Nigeria and performed admirably on the international arena.
Her feat attracted considerable accolades from Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora, with many describing her accomplishment as a monument to fortitude in the face of hardship.
The present court action, however, pulls the focus away from her pageant triumphs and toward her immigration status in South Africa.
The affidavit she is set to file before the Cape Town Regional Court will describe the steps she has taken to regularise her stay in the country as she seeks to avert her deportation.
The outcome of the case could determine whether Adetshina is allowed to stay in South Africa or deported, adding another chapter to a saga that has sparked outrage across Africa since her rise to stardom in international pageants.
