Former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidinma Adetshina, has faced renewed hostility in South Africa after anti-migrant protesters confronted her outside the Cape Town Regional Court, demanding that she leave the country. The confrontation came as she appeared in court to challenge efforts by South African authorities to detain and deport her over her immigration status.
Members of the anti-migrant group March and March gathered outside the court during the proceedings, carrying placards calling for Adetshina to return to Nigeria. The protesters reportedly pursued her vehicle as she left the courthouse after the hearing.
The latest confrontation is another chapter in a controversy that has followed the 25-year-old beauty queen since she entered the Miss South Africa competition in 2024. Her Nigerian heritage became the subject of intense public debate, with some South Africans questioning her eligibility to represent the country.
Adetshina was born in Soweto, Johannesburg, to a Nigerian father and a mother of Mozambican descent. She was raised in South Africa and has consistently maintained that she was born in the country and has a legitimate claim to South African citizenship.
The controversy eventually forced her to withdraw from the Miss South Africa pageant amid intense scrutiny and xenophobic abuse. She subsequently accepted an invitation to participate in Miss Universe Nigeria, representing Taraba State, and won the Nigerian title in August 2024.
Her victory in Nigeria marked a dramatic turn in her pageant journey. Adetshina later represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe 2024 competition in Mexico, where she finished as second runner-up, according to reports and Nigerian government accounts.
The latest dispute, however, is centred not on pageantry but on her immigration status. South African authorities began deportation proceedings against Adetshina after she was arrested in Cape Town in June 2026 for allegedly residing in the country without lawful immigration status. She was subsequently released on warning pending further proceedings.
At the latest court appearance, Adetshina rejected the suggestion that she should simply leave South Africa. She said she was born there and had used the appropriate legal channels to have her citizenship and immigration status determined. She also accused authorities of attempting to make an example of her and warned against allowing xenophobia and misinformation to influence the case.
South Africa’s Home Affairs authorities have disputed her position, with officials arguing that her actions after leaving the country raise questions about her legal status. Reports cited in the case say authorities have pointed to her possession of Nigerian travel documents and other immigration-related circumstances as part of their argument.
The court has now postponed the matter until February 27, 2027, according to reports. As the legal battle continues, the renewed protest against Adetshina has revived concerns about xenophobia and the treatment of African migrants in South Africa, while her supporters maintain that questions surrounding her citizenship should be resolved through the courts rather than public hostility.
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