I’m depressed, Chidimma Adetshina says as South Africa court delays deportation ruling

Former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, says she is battling depression but remains determined to fight on after a South African court postponed judgment in her deportation case until August 19.

The Cape Town Regional Court on Monday reserved judgment on whether Adetshina should be detained pending deportation after hearing submissions from her legal team and South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs.

The 25-year-old beauty queen was arrested in Cape Town in June over allegations that she is residing in South Africa illegally.

Government lawyers argued that Adetshina lacks valid immigration documents and should remain in custody while deportation proceedings continue. They also alleged that she still possesses a South African passport despite holding Nigerian citizenship and accused her of obtaining Nigerian passports for herself and her child before re-entering South Africa through Mozambique.

Her legal team rejected the claims, insisting she was born in South Africa, has limited ties to Nigeria and poses no flight risk. They argued that authorities failed to conduct a fair investigation before invalidating her documents and noted that her citizenship remains the subject of a separate High Court case.

The defence proposed that Adetshina report to immigration officials every two weeks instead of being detained, but no agreement was reached after the magistrate encouraged an out-of-court settlement.

Following the hearing, Adetshina shared an emotional message on Instagram, saying she was exhausted, burnt out and depressed but would not give up.

The former beauty queen has been at the centre of a citizenship dispute since competing in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant. She later withdrew from the contest before winning Miss Universe Nigeria and finishing as first runner-up at the Miss Universe competition.

The court is expected to deliver its ruling on August 19.