S’African protesters demand Adetshina’s exit

Diaspora Tales reports that a group of supporters of the March and March movement demonstrated outside Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday, vocally demanding the departure of Chidimma Adetshina from South Africa. Ms. Adetshina, a former Miss South Africa finalist and Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 winner, faced her immigration case in court, which would determine her future in the country.

The protesters held up signs with various messages, vociferously calling for Adetshina's departure while the court deliberated on her immigration status and her efforts to avert detention before deportation proceedings. Ms. Adetshina's legal battle to remain in South Africa began as a dispute over her citizenship and eligibility to compete in the Miss South Africa pageant, but it has since morphed into a broader conflict involving immigration laws, detention powers, and disputed identity documents.

According to South African news outlet IOL, the Department of Home Affairs informed the court that Adetshina lacked a valid legal status in the country and that authorities sought the authority to detain her pending deportation. The department had earlier withdrawn her South African identity documents after investigating alleged irregularities involving documents connected to her and her mother.

However, Home Affairs later stated that its investigation revealed prima facie evidence of fraud and identity theft involving her mother's documentation. The department clarified that Adetshina was merely a child at the time of the alleged wrongdoing, so she could not have been implicated. The department affirmed that she had no valid reason to remain in South Africa.

After her legal team contended that she had strong ties to South Africa and that her immigration status could be regularized, particularly since she was born in the country, the court adjourned the judgment until February 27, 2027. Ayoola Olasupo, a journalist at Punch Newspapers, covered the demonstration, focusing on amplifying underrepresented voices and producing stories that promote justice, empathy, and informed public dialogue.