Protests in South Africa as Chidinma Adetshina's Deportation Hearing Delayed

The Cape Town Regional Court has postponed the case about the immigration status of former Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, Chidinma Adetshina. This decision comes as protesters demand that she be sent back to Nigeria.

Ms Adetshina appeared in court on Wednesday. She wanted to stop officials from detaining her over her immigration status.

PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier that she filed an affidavit detailing the steps she took to sort out her status in South Africa.

IOL, a news site in South Africa, said the court has moved the hearing to 27 February 2027. After the hearing, Ms Adetshina stated again that she was born in South Africa.

She claimed that the authorities were trying to make an example out of her with this case. "I want to remind everyone that I was born in South Africa. I have applied through the proper legal channels to determine my status and citizenship," Ms Adetshina said.

She added that officials should not let xenophobia and misinformation influence how people are treated.

The anti-migrant group March and March held a peaceful protest while Ms Adetshina was in court. They called for her return to Nigeria. The group has been working to remove undocumented migrants from South Africa.

Protesters carried placards with different messages and chased Ms Adetshina's vehicle as she left the courthouse.

Ms Adetshina's deportation case started in June. Immigration officers arrested her in Cape Town, claiming she was living in the country unlawfully, as this newspaper reported earlier.

After her arrest in Summer Greens, she went before the Cape Town Regional Court. The court released her on a warning and postponed the case while the Department of Home Affairs continued trying to deport her.

This deportation case against Ms Adetshina began less than two years after her Nigerian roots sparked controversy during the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant.

Ms Adetshina was born in Soweto to an Igbo Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother. She made it to the Top 30 in the Miss South Africa contest, but questions about her background led to public debate.

Afterward, the Miss Universe Nigeria organizers asked her to represent Taraba State. She won the Nigerian title and later took part in the Miss Universe 2024 competition in Mexico.

Her latest court appearance came after immigration officer Adrian Jackson presented evidence. He showed documents showing that the Department of Home Affairs’ Central Law Enforcement Unit had found her.

Mr Jackson said Ms Adetshina and her young son were living in South Africa without valid immigration papers. He also mentioned that he recognized her from a previous investigation. Mr Jackson stated that immigration officials checked her details against the department’s electronic database before interviewing her to assess her immigration status.