'I was born in South Africa', says beauty queen facing legal bid to deport her
Chidimma Adetshina is challenging efforts to have her deported from South Africa, which she says is her home.
Beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina, who faces deportation from South Africa, insists she was born in the country and feels she has been "treated unfairly and targeted." This statement comes as South African authorities seek her detention to proceed with her deportation, having declared her a prohibited person in 2024.
Adetshina, 25, whose mother has Mozambican roots and father is Nigerian, had her South African identity documents revoked in 2024. This occurred after her citizenship was questioned when she participated in the 2024 Miss South Africa contest, prompting her to leave the country. She was arrested in June of this year for allegedly re-entering South Africa unlawfully, though she was later released with a warning.
On Wednesday, the government's legal bid to detain her was postponed until next year. Following a hearing in Cape Town, Adetshina commented that the South African authorities have "attempted" to make an example of her. "I remind everyone that I was born in South Africa. I have applied through the proper legal channels to have my status and citizenship determined," she stated.
The pageant contestant also remarked that "we should not allow xenophobia and misinformation to determine how people are going to be treated." This appeared to be directed at protesters gathered outside the court, who were calling for her deportation. The protest was organized by the anti-migrant group March and March, known for advocating for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. Many protesters pursued her car as she departed the courthouse.
Adetshina, then a law student, left South Africa in 2024 and subsequently won Miss Universe Nigeria after being invited by the organizers.
In court, South Africa's home affairs department argued that Adetshina applied for a South African visa while in Nigeria and also obtained Nigerian passports for herself and her son, reportedly implying she was not a South African citizen, according to News24. Officials further claimed she illegally re-entered South Africa via a Mozambican border post. Adetshina has previously maintained that South Africa is her home.
Her case has been postponed to February 2027 to allow for the finalization of her review challenging the home affairs department's deportation decision. She will remain free until this process is complete.
Adetshina's South African identity and travel documents were revoked in 2024 following allegations that her mother, Anabela Rungo, committed identity fraud to obtain South African nationality. Being born in South Africa does not automatically confer citizenship; one parent must either be a citizen or a permanent resident. Rungo's South African citizenship was revoked in 2025.
The investigation into Adetshina's status began after she became a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant. She faced criticism regarding her eligibility due to her mother's Mozambican ties and her father's Nigerian citizenship, leading her to withdraw from the pageant when these issues emerged. Adetshina has stated in interviews that she was born in Soweto, a South African township near Johannesburg, and grew up in Cape Town.