Former Miss South Africa contestant and Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina will have to wait until next year for clarity on her immigration status in South Africa after a court postponed her deportation case to February 2027.
The Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday, August 19, postponed judgment on whether Adetshina should be detained pending possible deportation, saying it could not determine the matter before the Western Cape High Court rules on her separate review application challenging the decision to deport her.
The matter has been scheduled for February 27, 2027.
For now, Adetshina remains out of detention and has been ordered to stay at her current address and report regularly to an immigration officer while the legal proceedings continue.
The latest development follows months of legal uncertainty surrounding her right to remain in South Africa.
The 25-year-old was arrested in June after South African authorities alleged that she had entered the country illegally through the Lebombo border from Mozambique.
The Department of Home Affairs is seeking her detention pending deportation, arguing that she does not have valid immigration status.
Her legal team, however, has challenged the deportation process and argued that Adetshina was born in South Africa and has strong ties to the country.
Her lawyers are also challenging the decision to declare her a prohibited person through a separate High Court application.
The immigration dispute is the latest chapter in a controversy that began during the Miss South Africa 2024 competition, when questions were raised about Adetshina’s citizenship and eligibility to compete.
She eventually withdrew from the pageant amid intense public scrutiny and safety concerns before moving to Nigeria, where she won Miss Universe Nigeria 2024.
Representing Nigeria at Miss Universe 2024, Adetshina finished as first runner-up, becoming one of the country’s highest-placed contestants in the competition.
Her South African citizenship and immigration status have remained subjects of legal proceedings since then.
The latest court postponement means the dispute will continue into 2027, with the outcome of the High Court review expected to play a key role in determining what happens next.
