Ex-Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina faces fresh deportation battle in South Africa

Former Miss Universe Nigeria and Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, Chidimma Adetshina, is facing a fresh deportation battle in South Africa after authorities allegedly found her living in the country without legal immigration status.

According to South African newspaper Sunday World, Adetshina, 25, appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court on June 9 following her arrest in the Summer Greens area of Cape Town. She was released on warning and is expected to return to court next month as the Department of Home Affairs pursues her deportation.

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An affidavit filed by immigration officer Adrian Jackson alleged that Adetshina and her minor son were found residing in South Africa without lawful immigration status after officials verified their details through the department’s electronic records and conducted a status determination interview.

“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.

The officer further alleged that Adetshina had “wilfully and intentionally remained resident unlawfully” in violation of South Africa’s Immigration Act and urged the court to approve her detention pending deportation.

The latest legal proceedings follow a decision by South African Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, who in March dismissed Adetshina’s application seeking a review of the department’s refusal to grant her a letter of good cause.

According to the minister, Adetshina was notified in September 2024 of the department’s intention to cancel both her and her son’s South African identity documents but failed to respond. He also alleged that she later obtained a Nigerian passport before applying unsuccessfully for a South African visitor’s visa using what authorities described as a fraudulent bank statement.

Schreiber 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. He also alleged that she subsequently re-entered the country through the Lebombo border from Mozambique while presenting herself as a South African citizen.

The minister added that her son’s immigration application was also rejected because it depended entirely on her application and he had no independent legal basis to remain in the country.

Pending the next hearing, the court ordered Adetshina to remain at the address where she was arrested and notify immigration investigators of any changes to her residence, employment or movements.

Adetshina became the centre of a nationality controversy in 2024 after qualifying as a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant. She later withdrew from the competition following public scrutiny over her citizenship before representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant, where she was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria and finished as the first runner-up globally.

South African authorities have continued to investigate her citizenship and immigration status, maintaining that she has no legal right to reside in the country. Adetshina has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.