The Cape Town regional court in South Africa on Tuesday adjourned judgement in the deportation case of a former Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina until February, 2027.
The adjournment came despite protest by members of anti-immigrantion group Operation Dudula outside the court, demanding that the beauty queen be deported to Nigeria.
Speaking after the ruling, Ms Chidimma alleged unfair treatment, stressing that zenophobia and misinformation should not determine the ways people are treated.
“Firstly, I want to say I am grateful for getting another opportunity to have my faith in our court and remind everyone that I was born in South Africa. I have applied through the proper legal channels to have my status and citizenship determined.
“I believe that I have been treated unfairly and targeted and there has been an attempt to make me as an example. But my message won’t be one of anger. South Africa is governed by the rule of law and we should not allow zenophobia and misinformation to determine how people are going to be treated. We should always be guided by the spirit of Ubuntu,” she stated.
Mrs Adetshina, in July, appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court to challenge the Department of Home Affairs’ effort to deport her from South Africa.
The court appearance followed an application by her legal team contesting the lawfulness of the deportation process by the country’s Department of Home Affairs.
Mrs Adetshina, who was arrested in June after Home Affairs alleged that she entered South Africa illegally, later appeared in court as the legal battle continued over possible deportation.
Mrs Adetshina, born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, initially contested the Miss South Africa 2024 crown before withdrawing from the competition amid controversy surrounding her family’s citizenship status.
Her withdrawal followed an investigation by South African authorities into allegations concerning her mother’s identity and citizenship documentation.
In August 2024, the Department of Home Affairs stated that Ms Adetshina’s mother might have been involved in identity theft.
The controversy also sparked widespread social media attacks on Ms Adetshina because of her Nigerian heritage, despite being born in South Africa and met the eligibility requirements for the beauty pageant.
She later accepted an invitation to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, where she emerged winner and represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe 2024 competition.
Mrs Adetshina finished as first runner-up at the global pageant and was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, becoming one of Nigeria’s most recognised beauty queens on the international stage.