Former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, is facing renewed immigration troubles in South Africa after authorities arrested her in Cape Town over allegations that she is residing in the country without valid documentation.
According to reports by Sunday World, the 25-year-old appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court on June 9 after being taken into custody in the Summer Greens area. She was later released on warning and is expected to return to court next month as South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs continues efforts to have her deported.
Adetshina has remained at the centre of a citizenship controversy since her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant. Questions surrounding her nationality sparked widespread public debate and eventually led to her withdrawal from the competition, citing concerns for her safety and that of her family.
She later accepted an invitation from the Silverbird Group to compete in Miss Universe Nigeria, where she emerged winner and went on to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant. Her performance made history, as she became the first Nigerian contestant to finish as first runner-up.
Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father of Igbo descent and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina’s immigration status in South Africa has been under scrutiny for months.
In court documents, immigration officer Adrian Jackson stated that investigations carried out by authorities found that both Adetshina and her minor son were living in South Africa without legal residency status.
According to the affidavit, checks conducted through the Department of Home Affairs’ electronic systems, as well as interviews with the former beauty queen, confirmed that she did not possess any valid residential permit.
Jackson argued that her continued stay in the country amounted to a violation of South Africa’s immigration laws and justified her detention and deportation.
The latest legal action follows an earlier decision by South African Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, who in March rejected Adetshina’s request for a review of the department’s refusal to grant her a letter of good cause.
Schreiber said Adetshina had been notified in September 2024 of plans to cancel both her identity documents and those of her son but failed to respond to the department.
The minister also alleged that she obtained a Nigerian passport before applying for a South African visitor’s visa, which was later denied after officials claimed she submitted a fraudulent bank statement.
According to Schreiber, Adetshina was declared a prohibited person on December 19, 2024, a designation that bars her from obtaining visas or permits to remain in South Africa.
He further claimed that she later re-entered the country through the Lebombo border post from Mozambique while presenting herself as a South African citizen.
Authorities also rejected her son’s immigration application, arguing that it depended entirely on her own status and that the child had no independent basis to remain in the country.
As part of the conditions attached to her release, the court directed Adetshina to remain at the address where she was arrested and to keep immigration investigators informed of any changes to her residence, employment or travel plans pending the next hearing.
