Chidimma Adetshina Fights Deportation as Home Affairs Pushes to Remove Former Miss SA Finalist
The legal battle surrounding former Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina has taken another dramatic turn, with the Department of Home Affairs pressing ahead with efforts to deport the beauty queen and her young son from South Africa.
At the centre of the case is a dispute over Adetshina’s legal status in the country, a controversy that has followed her since her rise to national prominence during the 2024 Miss South Africa competition. Now, the matter has shifted from public debate to the courtroom, where her future in South Africa hangs in the balance.
Adetshina, 25, appeared before the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 16 July, as she continues to challenge the Department of Home Affairs’ bid to have her removed from the country.
The court expected her to present a statement outlining the steps she has taken to regularise her residency and demonstrate that she is lawfully entitled to remain in South Africa.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, Adetshina and her son have been residing in South Africa without valid entry and residency documentation. The department alleges that this forms the basis for their continued efforts to have both deported.
The allegations resulted in Adetshina’s arrest in June. She made her first court appearance on 9 June and was later released with a warning pending further legal proceedings.
Court documents further allege that Adetshina informed immigration officials that she was a South African citizen when she entered the country from Mozambique through the Lebombo border post.
The department also claims that neither Adetshina nor her son possesses the legal documentation required to remain in South Africa.
The latest court proceedings mark another chapter in a saga that has attracted widespread public attention since the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant.
Questions surrounding Adetshina’s citizenship first surfaced during the competition, sparking intense public scrutiny and prompting an investigation by the Department of Home Affairs.
The department later announced that it had uncovered evidence suggesting that Adetshina’s mother, Anabela Rungo, may have used another person’s identity details to obtain South African identity documents.
Rungo was subsequently arrested before being released on R10,000 bail. No further public developments in her criminal case have been announced.
The controversy ultimately led Adetshina to withdraw from the Miss South Africa competition, ending what had appeared to be a promising journey in the pageant.
Her international career, however, continued to gather momentum. She went on to represent Nigeria, where she won the 2024 Miss Universe Nigeria title before competing on the global stage.
Adetshina later finished as the first runner up at the Miss Universe competition in Mexico and was also crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania 2024.
Despite her international success, the legal dispute over her immigration status remains unresolved. The outcome of the court proceedings could determine whether she is permitted to remain in South Africa or faces deportation alongside her son.
For now, the spotlight has shifted from the pageant stage to the courtroom, where one of South Africa’s most closely watched immigration cases continues to unfold.
