Lithuanian Actress Leva Andrejevaite Deported From SA After Abusing Refugee Laws

• Lithuanian actress Leva Andrejevaite arrived at Cape Town International Airport on 28 April 2022 without a visa on a private jet
• After claiming she wanted asylum due to the war in Ukraine, she was spotted at a Cape Town party hosted by businessman Rob Hersov
• Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed she was declared an undesirable person and banned from South Africa for five years

SOUTH AFRICA - Lithuanian actress Leva Andrejevaite has been deported from South Africa after attempting to exploit the country's asylum laws. She touched down at Cape Town International Airport on 28 April 2022 aboard a private jet with no valid visa.

Border officials refused her entry. Rather than leave, Andrejevaite told authorities she wished to apply for asylum, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine as her reason for seeking refuge. She was given five days to submit her application. She never did.

Read also

IDAC Head Andrea Johnson says she received death threat after probing SAPS Crime Intelligence

Party photos expose the actress

Instead of filing for asylum, Andrejevaite was photographed at a social gathering in Cape Town hosted by prominent businessman Rob Hersov. The images, which circulated online, raised serious questions about the credibility of her asylum claim.

She subsequently took legal action in the Western Cape High Court, but the case collapsed after the Department of Home Affairs placed her affidavit under scrutiny and identified a number of false statements. Andrejevaite withdrew the matter, and on 2 June 2022 the court ordered her to issue a formal apology.

The department said that her failure to lodge an asylum application within the required window meant she was considered an illegal alien under South African law.

See post here:

Banned from South Africa for five years

Andrejevaite was formally processed for deportation on 5 June 2022 and declared an undesirable person. The declaration carries a five-year ban from entering the country.

Read also

Chidimma Adetshina's arrest called an ambush as Cape Town court reserves deportation ruling

Then Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi made clear the department's position on the matter. He said officials would not allow the country's refugee and asylum framework to be misused, and he praised the department's staff for holding the line and enforcing immigration law correctly.

Mozambican woman fights deportation

In related news, a Mozambican woman discussed why she had no plans to leave South Africa despite her undocumented status. Speaking about her situation, the woman explained that her undocumented status was preventing her children from accessing schooling and other services.She rejected calls for her deportation, pointing to the life she had built in South Africa over many years.

Chidimma Adetshina fights deportation

Briefly News reported that former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina was back in the Cape Town Regional Court, where she is fighting to remain in South Africa following her high-profile arrest. Adetshina's legal troubles stretch back to late 2024, when a Department of Home Affairs investigation into alleged identity fraud committed by her mother forced her to withdraw from the Miss South Africa pageant amid backlash.

Source: Briefly News