South African Court Delays Ruling On Chidimma Adetshina’s Immigration Status, Deportation Fight | Sahara Reporters
The Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, adjourned the matter until February 27, 2027.
A South African court has postponed judgment in the legal battle of the former Miss South Africa contestant and Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 winner, Chidimma Adetshina, over her immigration status and bid to stop her detention pending deportation proceedings.
The Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, adjourned the matter until February 27, 2027.
The South African government has maintained that Adetshina does not currently have valid legal status in the country following the revocation of her citizenship.
However, Adetshina’s lawyers are challenging the position and arguing that she has strong ties to South Africa and should be allowed to regularise her immigration status, particularly because she was born in the country.
The latest development came as members of the anti-immigration group Operation Dudula staged a protest outside the court, demanding that Adetshina be deported to Nigeria.
The protesters have continued to oppose her presence in South Africa amid the long-running controversy over her nationality and immigration status.
In July 2026, SaharaReporters reported that Adetshina appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court to challenge her deportation after she was arrested over allegations that she was illegally residing in South Africa.
Adetshina was arrested on June 6 and was expected to file an affidavit detailing the steps she had taken to regularise her immigration status.
The court case represents the latest chapter in an immigration dispute that began during her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant, when her nationality and her family’s citizenship status became the subject of intense public scrutiny.
Adetshina was born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother. She entered the Miss South Africa 2024 competition but eventually withdrew amid controversy over her family’s citizenship documentation.
Her withdrawal came after South African authorities launched an investigation into allegations concerning her mother’s identity and citizenship records.
The controversy triggered a wave of attacks against Adetshina on social media, with some of the criticism directed at her Nigerian heritage despite her South African birthplace and eligibility to participate in the pageant.
In August 2024, the South African government said Adetshina’s mother may have been involved in identity theft while her daughter was a finalist in the Miss South Africa competition.
Rather than ending her pageantry career, the controversy paved the way for Adetshina to represent Nigeria.
She later accepted an invitation to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria competition, representing Taraba State, and won the national title.
Adetshina subsequently represented Nigeria at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City, where she finished as first runner-up, securing Nigeria’s best-ever placement in the international competition.
Her performance earned praise from Nigerians and officials, including the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), which commended her in November 2024 for her performance and resilience.
NIDCOM noted that despite being rejected in South Africa, Adetshina embraced the opportunity to represent Nigeria and went on to achieve a historic result on the global stage.
The latest court proceedings, however, have shifted the spotlight back to her unresolved immigration status in South Africa.
The affidavit she is expected to submit is expected to provide details of the measures she has taken to obtain lawful status in the country as she fights to avoid deportation.
The outcome of the case could determine whether Adetshina is allowed to remain in South Africa or ultimately removed to Nigeria, potentially bringing a new legal dimension to a controversy that has followed her since the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant.