Supporters of the March and March movement gathered outside the Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday, August 19, to demand that beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina leave South Africa. The protest occurred as the court prepared to deliver judgment in Adetshina's legal battle over her immigration status.
Protesters Chant Outside Court as Chidimma Arrives
Protesters sang and chanted outside the court, with some calling for Adetshina to leave South Africa. When Chidimma arrived at the court venue, she was immediately swarmed by reporters and protesters and had to run into the court to evade them. Videos and reports from the scene showed March and March supporters protesting as the case was being heard.
Chidimma was a beauty queen in South Africa and would have represented the country in the Miss Universe contest, but South Africans rejected her, claiming her father is Nigerian, therefore she is Nigerian. The former Miss South Africa finalist was then chosen by Nigeria to contest in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, and she won.
Banners Demand Adetshina's Departure
As South Africans protested today, they carried banners that read: "She claimed Nigeria and was crowned Ms Nigeria." Another banner read: "Illegal immigrants are a burden in our country." The protest highlighted the ongoing controversy surrounding Adetshina's citizenship and her participation in beauty pageants.
Chidimma was arrested in June 2026 after South African authorities alleged that she had entered the country through the Lebombo border from Mozambique despite having previously been declared a prohibited person. Adetshina is challenging the government's attempt to detain her pending possible deportation.
Court Postpones Ruling in Immigration Case
Her legal team has disputed the authorities' position, while the Cape Town Regional Court was expected to rule on the matter today but has now postponed delivering a ruling. The case has attracted significant public attention in South Africa and Nigeria, following the controversy surrounding Adetshina's citizenship and her withdrawal from the 2024 Miss South Africa competition before later representing Nigeria at Miss Universe.
According to a video posted on social media by Linda Ikeji, Operation Dudula Western Cape was present at the protest, singing that Chidimma will go back to Nigeria. The situation continues to develop as the legal proceedings remain unresolved.
