Former Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina has insisted that she was born in South Africa and says she is being treated unfairly as authorities continue efforts to deport her. The 25-year-old beauty queen remains free for now after a Cape Town court postponed the case until February 2027 while her legal challenge against the deportation process continues.
Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian and whose mother has Mozambican roots, has been at the centre of a long-running dispute over her citizenship and immigration status.
She was stripped of her South African identity and travel documents in 2024 after the country’s Department of Home Affairs investigated how her documents were obtained. South African officials later declared her a prohibited person under immigration law.
Speaking outside court on Wednesday, Adetshina maintained that being born in South Africa should be an important part of determining her legal status.
“I remind everyone that I was born in South Africa. I have applied through the proper legal channels to have my status and citizenship determined,” she said.
She also claimed authorities had sought to make an example of her.
“There has been an attempt” to treat her differently, she said, adding that “we should not allow xenophobia and misinformation to determine how people are going to be treated”.
Her comments came as protesters gathered outside the court calling for her deportation.
Court delays Chidimma Adetshina deportation case until 2027
The South African government is seeking legal authority to detain Adetshina while it proceeds with efforts to deport her.
However, Wednesday’s hearing was postponed until February 2027 to allow another legal challenge involving her immigration and citizenship status to be completed.
That means Adetshina remains free while the courts consider whether the Home Affairs Department acted lawfully in its decisions against her.
The dispute intensified after Adetshina was arrested in Cape Town in June 2026.
Authorities allege that she unlawfully re-entered South Africa through the Lebombo border crossing with Mozambique and was living in the country without valid immigration status.
She was later released on warning.
South African broadcaster eNCA reported in July that Adetshina was entitled to challenge both her detention and deportation while her legal status was being determined. An immigration lawyer told the broadcaster that such a legal route existed, but warned that it was not automatic.
News24 has also reported that Home Affairs considers Adetshina a prohibited person under South Africa’s Immigration Act and is seeking her removal from the country.
Why being born in South Africa does not automatically settle the case
One of the central issues in the dispute is that being born in South Africa does not, by itself, automatically make someone a South African citizen.
Under South African nationality rules, citizenship at birth generally depends on the legal status of a person’s parents, among other requirements.
This means Adetshina’s statement that she was born in South Africa is relevant to the case, but it does not automatically prove that she is legally entitled to citizenship.
The Department of Home Affairs began examining her documents in 2024 after controversy erupted during her participation in the Miss South Africa pageant.
Authorities said their investigation found preliminary evidence of alleged identity fraud involving her mother, Anabela Rungo.
Importantly, South African officials said at the time that Adetshina herself was a child when the alleged irregularities occurred and was not accused of personally carrying out the suspected fraud.
Her mother later had her South African citizenship revoked.
Adetshina’s identity and travel documents were also withdrawn in 2024.
Miss South Africa controversy triggered citizenship row
The dispute first attracted widespread attention when Adetshina reached the final stages of the 2024 Miss South Africa competition.
Her eligibility was questioned because her father is Nigerian and her mother has links to Mozambique.
The debate quickly became highly charged, with some South Africans questioning whether she should be allowed to represent the country.
Adetshina eventually withdrew from the competition.
She later travelled to Nigeria after being invited to take part in Miss Universe Nigeria, which she won in August 2024.
She then represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe competition and finished as first runner-up.
Her rise in the pageant world turned what had initially been a dispute over competition eligibility into a much wider debate about citizenship, identity and migration.
Protesters demand deportation
The controversy continued outside the Cape Town court on Wednesday.
Members of the anti-migration group March and March demonstrated outside the building and called for Adetshina to be deported.
According to the BBC account, some protesters ran after her vehicle as she left the courthouse.
Adetshina responded by arguing that xenophobia should not influence how immigration cases are handled.
Her remarks reflect wider concerns over anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa, particularly towards migrants from other African countries.
However, the legal question before the court is narrower: whether Adetshina has lawful status in South Africa and whether the government has followed the correct procedures in seeking to detain and deport her.
Those questions have not yet been finally determined.
Legal battle far from over
The February 2027 postponement means there will be no immediate decision on whether Adetshina should be detained for deportation.
Her separate review of the Home Affairs decision must first be resolved.
Until then, she remains free, but the government’s deportation case has not been withdrawn.
The outcome could determine whether Adetshina is allowed to remain in the country where she says she was born or is ultimately removed under South Africa’s immigration laws.
For Adetshina, the issue has moved far beyond a beauty contest.
It is now a legal battle over nationality, immigration status and whether the state acted lawfully when it stripped her of documents and declared her a prohibited person.
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