Miss Universe Nigeria finalist Chidimma Adetshina, 25, faces a legal battle in South Africa that could see her deported. In July 2024 she was stripped of her South African identity papers after questions arose about her citizenship during the Miss South Africa pageant. Adetshina, whose mother was Mozambican and father Nigerian, was declared a prohibited person by the Home Affairs department and is currently a free woman while her appeal proceeds.
According to the Home Affairs department, she applied for a South African visa while in Nigeria and held Nigerian passports, suggesting she was not a citizen. The department then claimed she entered South Africa illegally through a Mozambican border post, further complicating her case. The South African courts postponed the government’s request to detain her until February next year, allowing her to continue pursuing a review of the deportation decision.
In a recent hearing in Cape Town, Adetshina publicly asserted that her claim of being born in South Africa is true and that she has followed legal routes to establish her status. She called on citizens to reject xenophobia and misinformation, addressing the protest crowd outside the courthouse. The demonstration, led by the anti‑migrant organisation March and March, saw several supporters chase her vehicle after she left the court, highlighting the intensity of this issue in South Africa.
Adetshina’s situation adds to a growing debate on citizenship, migration, and nationality law in South Africa. Formerly a law student, she left the country in 2024 and subsequently won Miss Universe Nigeria – a victory that brought her back into the spotlight. Her background, which includes a Mozambican mother and a Nigerian father, has been at the heart of the debate over who qualifies as South African under the country’s legal framework.
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