South Africa makes fresh move to deport Chidimma Adetshina

South African authorities have intensified efforts to deport former beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina after alleging that she had been living in the country without legal immigration status.

The Department of Home Affairs has asked the Cape Town Regional Court to confirm Adetshina’s detention to facilitate her deportation to her country of origin.

Adetshina, 25, who came into the spotlight after reaching the finals of the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant before withdrawing amid controversy over her citizenship, was arrested earlier this month in the Summer Greens area of Cape Town.

Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father of Igbo descent and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina’s legal status in South Africa has remained the subject of scrutiny. Her parents reportedly met in Johannesburg in the late 1990s and later settled in Pimville.

Following her withdrawal from the Miss South Africa contest, Adetshina went on to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant, where she was crowned first runner-up, making history as the first Nigerian woman to finish in second place at the global competition.

She appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court on June 9 and was released on warning pending the continuation of the case, which is expected to resume next month.

According to court documents filed by immigration officer Adrian Jackson, the Department of Home Affairs launched fresh deportation proceedings after determining that Adetshina and her minor son were residing in South Africa without lawful immigration status.

Jackson, in an affidavit submitted to the court, said Adetshina was “known to me through a previous investigation” and that officials from the department’s central law enforcement office traced her whereabouts before conducting an immigration status assessment.

“In this affidavit, I shall now motivate reasons for deeming it to be in the interest of justice to detain this person for the purpose of deportation to the country of origin,” the affidavit stated.

The department said officials verified Adetshina’s records through its electronic immigration system and interviewed her to determine her residency status.

According to the affidavit, the checks confirmed that she did not possess any lawful residential status in South Africa.

“After the above ‘status determination’ interview and the DHA residency IT systems checks, it was confirmed that the applicant does not hold any lawful RSA residential status and is thus an illegal foreigner,” the affidavit stated.

Jackson further alleged that Adetshina had remained in the country in contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act and urged the court to authorise her detention to enable the Department of Home Affairs to carry out deportation proceedings.

The matter is scheduled to return to court next month as authorities continue with the deportation process.

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