Beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina has maintained that she was born in South Africa and accused authorities of unfairly targeting her as she faces possible deportation from the country.
South African officials are seeking her detention after she was declared a prohibited person in 2024 following a dispute over her citizenship and immigration status.
Adetshina, 25, has a Nigerian father and a mother of Mozambican descent. She was stripped of her South African identity documents in 2024 after questions were raised about her citizenship while she was competing in the Miss South Africa pageant.
She subsequently left South Africa and went on to win Miss Universe Nigeria after being invited to participate in the Nigerian pageant.
Adetshina was arrested in June after allegedly re-entering South Africa unlawfully but was later released on warning.
Her legal battle continued on Wednesday when a South African government case seeking her detention was postponed until February 2027.
Speaking after the hearing in Cape Town, Adetshina said she believed authorities had 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 said.
She also urged authorities and the public not to allow xenophobia and misinformation to influence how people are treated.
Her comments came as protesters from the anti-migrant group March and March gathered outside the court demanding her deportation. Some protesters reportedly chased her vehicle as she left the courthouse.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Department has argued that Adetshina applied for a South African visa while she was in Nigeria and obtained Nigerian passports for herself and her son, which officials say indicates she was not a South African citizen.
Authorities also allege that she later re-entered South Africa illegally through a border post in Mozambique.
Adetshina has consistently maintained that South Africa is her home and that she was born in Soweto before growing up in Cape Town.
Her case has been postponed to February 2027 to allow the completion of a separate legal review challenging the Home Affairs Department’s decision to deport her. She remains free pending the outcome.
Adetshina’s citizenship status became controversial in 2024 after she reached the final stage of the Miss South Africa pageant. She eventually withdrew from the competition following questions over her eligibility.
Her mother, Anabela Rungo, was later stripped of her South African citizenship in 2025 following allegations of identity fraud.
Under South African law, being born in the country does not automatically confer citizenship. Certain conditions, including having a parent who is a South African citizen or permanent resident, must be met.
