- Immigration lawyer Craig Smith appeared on Newzroom Afrika on 26 July 2026 to unpack the legal mess surrounding Chidimma Adetshina’s South African citizenship
- Smith explained that Adetshina’s citizenship was revoked because her mother originally obtained it through fraud, leaving her with no valid legal standing in the country
- The lawyer also flagged a major procedural issue with the deportation proceedings, raising questions about whether the case will ever be properly resolved
An immigration lawyer has laid out exactly why former Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina no longer holds valid South African citizenship, and what it means for her future in the country.
Craig Smith, an immigration lawyer, appeared on Newzroom Afrika on 26 July 2026 to break down the two separate legal battles now surrounding Adetshina. He told the anchor that her situation involves both the Citizenship Act and the Immigration Act, and that neither is working in her favour.
Why Chidimma Adetshina lost her SA citizenship
Smith explained that Adetshina received her South African citizenship through her mother, who had allegedly obtained it fraudulently. The Department of Home Affairs revoked her citizenship on that basis, a decision Smith described as legally sound given the circumstances. Adetshina is now challenging that call in the Western Cape High Court, but Smith was blunt about her chances.
“I don’t really see an out in this regard… I can’t see how they’re going to succeed in turning that decision around because it was predicated on fraud,” he said.
Chidimma Adetshina is prohibited from South Africa
Beyond the citizenship question, Smith noted that Home Affairs had also declared Adetshina a prohibited person under the Immigration Act, disqualifying her from holding any visa in South Africa, including a visitor’s visa. Despite this, she allegedly re-entered the country through the Mozambican border on a visitor’s visa, which she was not entitled to hold. She was subsequently located in South Africa with her son, detained pending deportation proceedings, and later released.
Smith also flagged a significant legal complication with those deportation proceedings. The matter is currently before a magistrate’s court, but he pointed out that magistrates have no legal authority to issue a deportation order under the Act.
“The Act does not entitle a magistrate to issue an order of deportation,” he said, highlighting the procedural dead end the case has reached.
Watch Craig Smith unpack Chidimma Adetshina’s legal situation on Newzroom Afrika below:
This calls for celebration pic.twitter.com/fpJYsHkXzz
— THULI♤ (@THULIIIIIIIIII) July 27, 2026
Mzansi reacts to Chidimma Adetshina’s documents being revoked
South Africans following the case have had strong reactions to Smith’s analysis:
“It’s not enough; deportation must follow, plus the dismissal of those people in the IAB that continue to work against South Africans and siphon the state of its funds.”
“We can’t celebrate while the case is still ongoing in court.”
“This is good.”
“What’s the point of taking it to the magistrates’ court if it has no power to deport? Akahambe man!”
Chidimma Adetshina responds to calls for her to leave South Africa
Meanwhile, Briefly Newsreported that Chidimma Adetshina responded to critics who told her to leave South Africa.
Her citizenship battle remains complicated by her mother’s alleged fraud case and South Africa’s citizenship laws,
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Tayananiswa Zvikaramba (Editor)Tayananiswa Zvikaramba is an entertainment writer at Briefly News. He previously worked as a profiler, sports, human interest, entertainment, and current affairs writer at Pindula (2016-2022) and iHarare (2022-2025). He holds a BA Honours in Archaeology from the University of Zimbabwe (2010-2013), YOAST SEO for Beginners (2023), YOAST Block Editor Training (2023), and YOAST Structured Data for Beginners (2023). Email: tayananiswa.zvikaramba@briefly.co.za
