Controversial former Miss South Africa finalist and Miss Universe Nigeria titleholder Chidimma Adetshina is facing deportation from South Africa after immigration officials allegedly found her living unlawfully in Cape Town earlier this month.
The 25-year-old beauty queen, who dominated headlines in 2024 after her Miss SA candidacy triggered debate over her citizenship, appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court on 9 June following her arrest in Summer Greens. She was released on a warning and is expected back in court on 16 July as the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) presses ahead with efforts to remove her from the country.
At the heart of the matter are court papers filed by immigration officer Adrian Jackson, who has asked the court to confirm her detention for the purpose of deportation.
Jackson stated in his affidavit that Adetshina is “known to me through a previous investigation”. According to him, the department’s central law enforcement office traced her whereabouts and determined that she and her minor son were allegedly residing in South Africa without 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 the purpose of deportation to the country of origin,” Jackson said.
Officials verified her details against the department’s electronic systems and conducted what was described as a “status determination” interview to establish her immigration standing.
“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,” Jackson’s affidavit reads.
“It is my submission that the illegal foreigner wilfully and intentionally remained resident unlawfully in RSA in contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2022.”
Jackson further requested that the court “confirm the detention of the illegal foreigner for the purpose of deportation in order for the Department of Home Affairs to fulfil its mandate in facilitating the removal of illegal foreigners from the Republic of South Africa”.
The latest court proceedings form part of a longer legal and administrative saga involving Adetshina and the Department of Home Affairs.
In March this year, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber dismissed her application to review the department’s refusal of her and her son’s request for a letter of good cause. In doing so, he upheld the department’s earlier decision and effectively closed the door on her administrative appeal.
In a written response, Schreiber said Adetshina had been notified as early as September 2024 of the department’s intention to cancel her and her child’s South African identity documents.
“The department notified you of its intention … in September 2024, and you failed to respond,” Schreiber said.
The minister detailed what he described as a sequence of immigration-related developments. He stated that Adetshina had been issued with a Nigerian passport while in Nigeria before applying for a South African visitor’s visa.
“On 20 September 2024, you were issued with a Nigerian passport number … whilst you were in Nigeria, and you applied for a South African visitor’s visa, and your application was rejected because you submitted a fraudulent bank statement. You did not appeal the rejection.”
Schreiber further stated that Adetshina was declared a prohibited person on 19 December 2024.
“In terms of the Immigration Act, a prohibited person does not qualify for any visa or permit to remain in the Republic,” Schreiber said.
He also alleged that she subsequently re-entered South Africa via Mozambique.
“You re-entered South Africa through Mozambique, at the Lebombo border post, on 15 June 2024, presenting yourself as a South African citizen using passport number… and then applied for a letter of good cause, of which you failed the good cause test as stipulated in the Immigration Regulation 30(1).”
The minister made it clear that her son’s immigration status was tied directly to hers.
“As the application for the minor child was submitted as a dependency on that of the primary applicant, his legal status is inextricably linked to hers,” Schreiber said.
“Given the rejection of the primary applicant’s request due to her prohibited status and the submission of fraudulent documentation, the minor child possesses no independent basis to remain in the Republic.”
Adetshina first came under intense public scrutiny in 2024 when she was announced as a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant. Questions around her citizenship status soon surfaced, leading to widespread public debate. She later withdrew from the competition amid the controversy, before going on to compete in Nigeria and being crowned Miss Universe Nigeria.
Her latest legal troubles now threaten to overshadow her pageantry achievements.
Following her appearance in the Cape Town Regional Court on 9 June, the magistrate released her on a warning and postponed the matter to 16 July. As part of her release conditions, she has been ordered to remain at the address where she was arrested and to inform the investigating immigration officer of any changes to her residence, employment or movements while the case is pending.
The case places renewed focus on immigration enforcement and the consequences of being declared a prohibited person under South African law. Should the court confirm her detention for deportation, the Department of Home Affairs would be authorised to proceed with her removal to her country of origin.
For now, Adetshina remains in South Africa under strict conditions, awaiting her next court date — and a decision that could determine whether her future lies beyond the country where her public profile first rose to prominence.
