Miss SA finalist shares emotional social media post as her legal team submits affidavit outlining efforts to legalise her status.
Former Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina during the Miss Universe Nigeria boot camp in Lagos on 24 August 2024. Picture: AFP / Fawaz Oyedeji
Chidimma Adetshina, on Monday, told her social media followers she would not give up in a post shared as her immigration case continued before the Cape Town Regional Court.
The former Miss South Africa finalist, who was arrested in June after authorities found her and her minor son living in the country without legal immigration status, wrote “Exhausted- yes, Burnt out -yes, Depressed – yes” before adding, “Will I give up? NO!”
The post was shared on her Instagram page.
Affidavit outlines efforts to legalise status
According to reports, Adetshina’s legal team submitted an affidavit in court on Thursday outlining the steps she had taken to legalise her status in the country.
The former Miss SA finalist told the court that she has no other home besides South Africa.
However, the court was shown documents proving Adetshina could live in Nigeria, including papers relating to her son.
Adetshina’s legal team reportedly argued that all she needs to do is convince the court she was born in South Africa and has attempted to legally register her status.
According to EWN, the matter has been adjourned to give legal parties more time to reach a resolution, after a Western Cape High Court ruling found that magistrates do not have jurisdiction to issue warrants of arrest for immigration detention, as that power rests solely with immigration officers.
The Department of Home Affairs is seeking to detain Adetshina for the purpose of deportation, while her legal team has argued it is ready to proceed and wants to present alternatives to detention it says were not properly considered.
Long road to the courtroom
Adetshina was arrested in June after she and her minor son were found living in the country without legal immigration status.
The case stems from an investigation into her family’s documentation that began during her Miss SA journey in 2024.
In December that year, she was declared a prohibited person after it was alleged that her mother had used the stolen identity of a South African citizen to register her.
Despite this, Adetshina returned to South Africa, entering the country illegally via the Lebombo border post on the Mozambique border.
No shortage of critics online
Despite the ongoing case, Adetshina has continued to engage directly with followers and critics on TikTok.
When one commenter told her “please go!”, she replied, “I don’t want.”
When another user referenced her earlier comments and wrote, “I thought she said she is never coming back,” Adetshina responded, “Never or not? Which one?” before telling the user to “use your dictionary” after they pressed her on the distinction.
Asked by a follower how she stays strong through everything she’s facing, Adetshina wrote, “It’s only GOD!! With God by your side, you can do anything and everything. Win or lose.”
Furthermore, when another commenter asked if she’d ever tell her side of the story in a documentary, she joked, “If @Netflix can do my documentary, then I’ll explain.”
