Chidinma Adetshina appears in court as deportation case continues

The deportation case of former Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, Chidinma Adetshina, continued on Thursday in a South African court.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Ms Adetshina's deportation process started in June. This came after officers arrested her in Cape Town for allegedly living in the country illegally.

She went to the Cape Town Regional Court after her arrest in Summer Greens, and the court released her with a warning.

According to the BBC, Ms Adetshina returned to court as the Department of Home Affairs moved forward with the deportation case.

At the court session, she filed an affidavit detailing the actions she is taking to regularise her immigration status. She is working hard to avoid deportation.

After her appearance, Ms Adetshina left the Cape Town Regional Court after filing the affidavit.

This deportation case comes two years after her Nigerian background drew heavy criticism when she entered the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant.

Ms Adetshina was born in Soweto to a Nigerian Igbo father and a Mozambican mother. She made it to the Top 30 in the Miss SA competition before the backlash grew.

Later, the Miss Universe Nigeria organisers invited her to represent Taraba State. She won the title and went on to compete in the Miss Universe 2024 pageant in Mexico.

Court Details

Ms Adetshina appeared in court after immigration officer Adrian Jackson presented documents showing that the Central Law Enforcement Unit had tracked her down.

Mr Jackson stated that she and her young son had been living in South Africa without proper immigration documents.

He mentioned that he already knew Ms Adetshina from a previous investigation.

He explained that immigration officials checked her personal details in the department’s database before interviewing her about her immigration status.

Mr Jackson asked the court to allow Ms Adetshina to be detained. He argued that this would help the Department of Home Affairs do its legal duty of deporting people living unlawfully in South Africa.

Background

These latest court proceedings followed a previous decision by Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber. He rejected Ms Adetshina’s application for a review of the department’s refusal to give her and her son a letter of good cause.

By dismissing the review request, the minister supported the department's earlier decision.

In his written statement, Mr Schreiber said that Ms Adetshina was informed in September 2024 that the department planned to cancel her South African identity documents and those issued to her son.

He added that Ms Adetshina got a Nigerian passport while in Nigeria before she later applied for a visitor’s visa to South Africa.

Mr Schreiber also mentioned that Ms Adetshina was declared a prohibited person on 19 December 2024.

He claimed that she later re-entered South Africa from Mozambique through the Lebombo border post while pretending to be a South African citizen.

The minister also denied the immigration application submitted for Ms Adetshina’s son.