Chidimma Adetshina says South Africa is her home amid deportation fight

Beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina is fighting back against a legal bid to deport her from South Africa, insisting she was born in the country and has every right to remain. The 23-year-old, who represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant last year after withdrawing from Miss South Africa amid a citizenship controversy, says she won’t leave without a fight.

What started the deportation bid

The Department of Home Affairs launched an investigation into Adetshina’s citizenship status following allegations that her South African identity documents were fraudulently obtained. Officials claim her mother, a Mozambican national, used false information to register the birth. The department has since moved to cancel her South African ID and initiate deportation proceedings. But Adetshina and her legal team reject that version of events entirely.

She was born in Johannesburg in 2001 to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother who, she says, was a legal resident at the time. That detail matters enormously under South African law, which grants citizenship by birth only under specific conditions tied to the legal status of the parents.

‘This is my home’

In a statement released through her representatives, Adetshina was direct. “I was born in South Africa. This is my home. I have lived here my entire life and I will not be treated as a criminal for something I had no part in.” She described the situation as deeply painful, saying she has been made to feel like a stranger in the only country she has ever known.

Her attorneys filed papers in the Gauteng High Court this week, challenging the constitutionality of the department’s actions. They argue that due process was not followed and that cancelling her documents without a fair hearing violates her rights under the Constitution.

Public reaction has been fierce

The case has divided South Africans sharply. When the original allegations surfaced in August 2024, during the Miss South Africa competition, social media erupted. Adetshina faced a torrent of xenophobic abuse that shocked many observers. She withdrew from the competition shortly after, citing safety concerns, and went on to compete for Nigeria instead, finishing in the top five at Miss Universe in November.

Still, her legal battle is unfolding back home.

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said the department “follows all legal processes in line with the Citizenship Act and the Immigration Act” and that every case is assessed on its own merits. The department declined to comment specifically on Adetshina’s case while proceedings are ongoing.

What happens next

The Gauteng High Court is expected to hear preliminary arguments within the next six weeks. Legal experts say the case could set a significant precedent for how South Africa handles disputed citizenship claims, particularly for children of migrants. And with the country already wrestling with intense public debate over immigration, the outcome will be watched closely well beyond the courtroom.

Adetshina, for her part, says she isn’t going anywhere.