{
  "id": 1968214,
  "title": "‘I was born in South Africa’, says beauty queen facing legal bid to deport her",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/i-was-born-in-south-africa-says-beauty-queen-facing-legal-bid-to-1968214",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T15:55:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/i-was-born-in-south-africa-says-beauty-queen-facing-legal-bid-to-deport-her/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chidimma Adetshina, a beauty queen currently facing deportation from South Africa, has clarified that she was indeed born in the country and feels she has been \"treated unfairly and targeted\". South African officials are seeking her detention after she was declared a prohibited person in 2024. Adetshina, who is 25 and has parents with Mozambican and Nigerian roots, had her identity documents removed after questions about her citizenship arose during her participation in the 2024 Miss South Africa contest. She subsequently left the country. Adetshina was arrested in June for allegedly re-entering South Africa unlawfully and was later released on warning. The government's legal case for her detention was delayed until next year. During a recent hearing in Cape Town, Adetshina stated that \"there has been an attempt\" by authorities to make an example of her. She emphasized that she was born in South Africa and has sought to have her status and citizenship determined through proper legal channels. Adetshina, a law student at the time, left South Africa in 2024 and went on to win Miss Universe Nigeria after being invited by the organizers. South African authorities claim she applied for a visa while in Nigeria and used Nigerian passports for herself and her son, implying she was not a South African citizen. They also allege she returned illegally through a Mozambican border post. Adetshina counters that her home is in South Africa. Her case was postponed to February 2027 to finalize her appeal against the deportation decision. Until this is completed, she remains a free woman. Importantly, being born in South Africa does not automatically grant citizenship; one parent must be a citizen or permanent resident. Adetshina's status issue emerged after she became a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant, where she faced criticism over her eligibility due to her mother's Mozambican roots and her father's Nigerian citizenship. She withdrew from the contest when these issues came to light. When questioned about her birthplace, Adetshina said she was born in Soweto and raised in Cape Town.",
  "summary": "Beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina, who is facing deportation from South Africa, has reiterated that she was born in the country and believes she has been “treated unfairly and targeted”. South African officials want her detained as they pursue her deportation after she was declared a prohibited person in 2024. Adetshina, 25, whose mother has Mozambican […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}