Former Chidimma Adetshina, Miss Universe Nigeria, is facing renewed deportation proceedings after being arrested in South Africa earlier this month over allegations of residing in the country illegally.
According to reports, the 25-year-old appeared before a court in Cape Town on June 9 following her arrest in the Summer Greens area. She was released on warning and is expected to return to court next month as the Department of Home Affairs continues efforts to remove her from the country.
Adetshina has been at the centre of a citizenship dispute since her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant, where her nationality became a subject of public debate. She later withdrew from the competition, citing safety concerns for herself and her family.
She was subsequently invited to compete in Miss Universe Nigeria by Silverbird Group and went on to win the crown.
Representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant, Adetshina emerged first runner-up, “making history” as the first Nigerian woman to finish in second place at the global competition.
Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father of Igbo descent and a Mozambican mother, questions surrounding her legal status in South Africa have persisted.
In an affidavit, immigration officer Adrian Jackson said authorities had previously investigated Adetshina and confirmed through electronic records and interviews that she and her minor son were living in South Africa without valid legal status.
“In this affidavit, I shall now motivate reasons for deeming it to be in the interest of justice to detain this person for deportation to the country of origin.”
“It was confirmed that the applicant does not hold any lawful RSA residential status and is thus an illegal foreigner. It is my submission that the illegal foreigner willfully and intentionally remained resident unlawfully in RSA in contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2022.”
The current legal battle follows an earlier decision by Leon Schreiber, South Africa’s Home Affairs minister, who in March rejected Adetshina’s request to review the department’s refusal of her application for a letter of good cause.
The minister alleged that Adetshina failed to respond after being notified in September 2024 of plans to cancel both her and her son’s South African identity documents.
Schreiber also claimed she obtained a Nigerian passport before applying for a South African visitor’s visa, which was rejected after authorities alleged she submitted a fraudulent bank statement.
He further stated that Adetshina was declared a prohibited person on December 19, 2024, making her ineligible for any visa or permit to remain in South Africa.
Authorities also alleged she later re-entered South Africa through the Lebombo border from Mozambique while presenting herself as a South African citizen.
Following her court appearance, Adetshina was ordered to remain at the address where she was arrested and must notify immigration officers of any changes to her residence, employment or movement pending the next court hearing.