'I was born in South Africa', says beauty queen facing legal bid to deport her

Beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina, who is facing deportation from South Africa, reiterated that she was born in the country and believes she has been treated unfairly and targeted. South African authorities are seeking her detention as they pursue her deportation after she was declared a prohibited individual in 2024. Adetshina, 25, whose mother has Mozambican roots and whose father is Nigerian, was stripped of her identity documents after questions about her citizenship arose when she competed in the 2024 Miss South Africa contest; she subsequently left the country. She was arrested in June this year and later released on bail after being accused of re‑entering South Africa unlawfully. On Wednesday, the government’s legal suit seeking her detention was postponed until next year. Speaking after a proceeding in Cape Town, Adetshina said, “there has been an attempt” by the South African authorities to make an example of her with this case. “I remind everyone that I was born in South Africa. I have applied through the due legal channels to have my status and citizenship determined,” she stated. The pageant contestant added, “we should not let xenophobia and misinformation to determine however radical are going to be treated,” apparently directing the remark at protesters who had gathered outside the tribunal calling for her deportation. The demonstration was led by the anti‑migrant group March and March, which has been at the forefront of demands that undocumented migrants leave South Africa, and several individuals chased her vehicle as she departed the courthouse.