‘Chidimma, Go Home’: South Africans Protest Outside Court as Beauty Queen Battles Deportation

South Africans have taken to the streets in Cape Town, demanding that Nigerian beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina leave the country as her prolonged legal battle over her immigration status continues.

Supporters of the March and March movement and other anti-immigration protesters gathered outside the Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday, August 19, chanting “Chidimma, go home” and displaying placards calling for her departure.

A video shared by Linda Ikeji Blog showed protesters singing and chanting outside the court as Adetshina arrived for proceedings. Some demonstrators carried placards including messages such as, “She claimed Nigeria and was crowned Miss Nigeria,” while another declared that illegal immigrants were a burden on South Africa.

The protest came as the court considered issues surrounding Adetshina’s immigration status and the South African government’s attempt to have her detained pending possible deportation.

Adetshina, who was born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a mother of Mozambican descent, became a major figure in South Africa’s national conversation in 2024 after she reached the final stages of the Miss South Africa pageant.

She eventually withdrew from the competition amid intense controversy over her nationality and later represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant, where she finished as first runner-up.

Her immigration status has since become the subject of a legal dispute. South African authorities have alleged that she entered the country through the Lebombo border from Mozambique in June despite previously being declared a prohibited person. Adetshina has challenged the government’s position and is seeking legal protection against detention and deportation.

The latest court proceedings did not bring an immediate resolution. The Cape Town Regional Court postponed judgment until February 2027, saying it could not determine the matter while a related review application remains before the Western Cape High Court.

Speaking after the proceedings, Adetshina said she believed she had been unfairly targeted and stressed that she was born in South Africa.

She said she remained confident in the country’s judicial system and would continue to pursue the matter through legal channels, while urging that xenophobia and misinformation should not determine how people are treated.

The latest protest has renewed attention on the long-running Chidimma controversy and the broader debate over immigration, nationality and xenophobia in South Africa.