Model Chidimma Adetshina Fights Deportation As Department of Home Affairs Accuses Her Of Illegal Residency
Model Chidimma Adetshina is fighting to remain in South Africa after the Department of Home Affairs accused her of residing in the country without valid legal documentation.
The Department of Home Affairs wants Chidimma Adetshina deported after accusing her and her son of staying in South Africa illegally.
The former Miss South Africa finalist must now demonstrate to the court what steps she has taken to regularise her stay in the country.
Chidimma who reached the finals of the Miss South Africa pageant, is challenging the Department of Home Affairs’ attempt to deport her from South Africa
The 25-year-old woman returned to the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 16 July.
She was expected to provide the court with a statement detailing the measures she has taken to ensure her residency in South Africa is legal.
The Department of Home Affairs accuses her of staying in the country without the proper entry and residency permits, leading to her arrest in June.
She first appeared in court on 9 June, after which she was released with a warning.
Court documents state that Adetshina told officials she was a South African citizen when she entered the country from Mozambique through the Lebombo border post.
The Department of Home Affairs further alleges that she and her young son have been living in South Africa without the necessary legal documentation permitting their stay.
The controversy surrounding her citizenship first gained widespread public attention during the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant.
The Department of Home Affairs later stated it found evidence suggesting her mother, Anabela Rungo, may have used another person’s identity details to obtain South African identity documents.
Rungo was arrested and subsequently released on R10,000 bail. No new public updates regarding her case have been released since then.
Chidima withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant following the controversy over her citizenship.
She later represented Nigeria and won the 2024 Miss Universe Nigeria title.
She went on to finish as the first runner-up at the