South African beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina has insisted that she was born in the country as she continues fighting efforts to deport her.
The 25-year-old is challenging the Department of Home Affairs’ decision to declare her a prohibited person.
The department wants the court to detain her while it prepares for her possible deportation.
However, the Cape Town Regional Court postponed its decision until February 27, 2027. It said it could not decide the detention matter before the Western Cape High Court considers Adetshina’s separate application challenging the deportation decision.
Adetshina will remain free while the cases continue. She must stay at her current address and report regularly to an immigration officer.
Speaking outside the court, she maintained that she had followed the correct legal process.
“I remind everyone that I was born in South Africa,” she said. “I have applied through the proper legal channels to have my status and citizenship determined.”
She also accused authorities of treating her unfairly and using her case to set an example.
Adetshina warned that xenophobia and misinformation should not determine how people are treated.
Her appearance attracted protesters from the anti-migrant group March and March, who gathered outside the court and demanded her deportation. Some reportedly followed her vehicle when she left.
Questions about Adetshina’s nationality began when she became a finalist in the 2024 Miss South Africa competition.
She was born in Soweto and raised in Cape Town. Her father is Nigerian, while her mother, Anabela Rungo, has Mozambican roots.
Being born in South Africa does not automatically guarantee citizenship. A child’s status can depend on whether at least one parent was a South African citizen or permanent resident at the time of birth.
The controversy forced Adetshina to withdraw from Miss South Africa. She later competed in Miss Universe Nigeria, won the title and finished as first runner-up at Miss Universe 2024.
South African authorities later cancelled her identity and travel documents following allegations that her mother had used another woman’s identity to register her birth. Adetshina has not been accused of personally carrying out that alleged fraud.
Authorities claim she later entered South Africa unlawfully through the Lebombo border from Mozambique after being declared a prohibited person.
She was arrested in June and later released on warning.
Adetshina’s lawyers argue that she has strong ties to South Africa and should be allowed to complete her legal challenge before any detention or deportation takes place.
Her immigration status will remain undecided until the courts hear the outstanding cases.
