Chidimma breaks silence after being forced to run into court as South Africans chant "go home”

• Chidimma Adetshina says she has been treated unfairly and targeted in South Africa.

• Anti-immigration protesters chanted “go home” as she arrived at court.

• Her deportation case has been adjourned until February 27, 2027.

Former Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina has spoken publicly for the first time about her ongoing deportation battle in South Africa, delivering a composed statement outside the Cape Town Regional Court after the magistrate adjourned her case until February 27, 2027.

Her appearance at the court was met with hostility from members of anti-immigration group Operation Dudula, who gathered outside the building chanting "Chidimma, go home" and carrying placards demanding her deportation. 

She was forced to run into the court upon arrival to avoid the crowd, and later left under the protection of family members after the situation outside escalated further.

The adjournment means Chidimma remains free in South Africa while her legal challenge plays out, with the court ruling it could not confirm her detention pending the outcome of a separate High Court review of the decision to revoke her South African citizenship.

Speaking to journalists outside the court on Wednesday, Adetshina said she remained confident in South Africa's judicial system despite the prolonged nature of the proceedings.

"I would like to say that I am grateful that I have once again been able to get an opportunity to have my faith in our courts. I remind everyone that I was born in South Africa," she said.

She said she believed she had been singled out and treated differently from how others in similar situations would be handled.

"I believe I have been treated unfairly and targeted, and there has been an attempt to make me an example," she said.

She urged South Africans to uphold the rule of law and resist allowing prejudice to shape how individuals are treated before the courts.

"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," she said.

Adetshina's lawyers have maintained throughout the proceedings that she was born in South Africa, has deep ties to the country, and cannot be held personally responsible for documentation irregularities linked to her mother. 

READ ALSO: South Africa tried to jail Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma as deportation battle deepens

The High Court challenge, which contests the revocation of her South African identity documents, must now be resolved before the regional court can proceed further.

Adetshina's legal troubles began in 2024 when questions about her citizenship emerged during her participation in the Miss South Africa pageant. 

She withdrew from the competition amid public backlash, subsequently won the Miss Universe Nigeria title, and finished as first runner-up at the Miss Universe pageant, the highest placement ever by a Nigerian contestant.

She was arrested in Cape Town in June 2026 after South African authorities alleged she had re-entered the country illegally despite being declared a prohibited person.