Former Miss South Africa contestant and Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina’s pending deportation case has been postponed. The beauty pageant queen is fighting for her rights to stay in South Africa and be recognised as a South African citizen despite allegedly obtaining her documents fraudulently.
The Cape Town Regional Court has ruled that it cannot make a decision to confirm her detention pending the case at the Western Cape High Court. Adetshina’s legal representation launched an application at the High Court to challenge, among others, the decision to withdraw her South African ID.
The court has heard that she had taken pro-active steps to legalise herself in the country, and this happened before the immigration interview and her arrest in June.
Following the court appearance, Adetshina made a brief statement, still claiming that she was born in South Africa despite alleged reports that she was born in Nigeria:
“I would like to say that I am once again grateful that I have been able to get an opportunity to have my faith in our courts and I 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 is not going to one out of anger. South Africa is governed by the rule of law and we should not allow xenophobia and misinformation to determine how people are going to be treated. We should all be guided by the spirit of ubuntu. Throughout this ordeal, I have availed myself through all appropriate legal recourse and I will continue to respect and abide by each process.”
The matter has been postponed to February next year.
Image: Instagram
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