South Africa delays deportation hearing for former Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina

A Cape Town Regional Court has adjourned the deportation hearing of Chidimma Adetshina to 19 August. The Department of Home Affairs argued that she should be deported after she was arrested in June for allegedly residing in South Africa without valid immigration status. Adetshina, who holds a South African passport and Nigerian citizenship, was declared a prohibited person under the Immigration Act in December 2024 and is challenging that designation.

Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina entered the public eye after withdrawing from the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant and winning Miss Universe Nigeria, later finishing as first runner‑up at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico. Her legal team proposes alternatives to detention, such as fortnightly reporting to an immigration officer, while the state maintains that deportation is appropriate.

Immigration lawyers note a loophole in the South African Citizenship Act (Section 2(2)) that could allow her to apply for citizenship, provided she was born in South Africa, her birth was registered, and she lived in the country until age 18. Whether the Department will consider such an application remains uncertain.