Johannesburg – The much-publicised contested citizenship status of Miss SA hopeful Chidimma Adetshina took a new twist on Wednesday when Home Affairs said it found prima facie indications of fraud allegedly committed by her mom.
Since it became public knowledge that Adetshina was born to a Nigerian father and a South African mother of Mozambican descent her eligibility as a Miss SA contestant and her citizenship have been questioned.
“The reason for the ongoing nature of the investigation is that its scope has broadened since the original request received from the organisers of Miss SA,” the Department of Home Affairs said in a statement adding that the probe was based on the information uncovered by its investigators “thus far”.
The statement further said: “The Department nonetheless provides this public update based on the official request received from Miss SA, as well as the consent provided by both the contestant and her mother.
“We will provide a final update once the investigation is concluded.”
The department said this week on Monday, (5 August 2024), the organisers of the Miss SA event sent a request for verification of Adetshina’s citizenship.
“This request was accompanied by written consent from both Adetshina and her mother,” the statement said.
“Upon receiving this request, the Department deployed every resource at its disposal to establish the truth.
“This has included archival research, visits to hospitals, and site visits to verify information.”
The department said it can indicate that: “Prima facie reasons exist to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Chidimma Adetshina’s mother”.
However, the department said Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as she was an infant at the time when the activities took place in 2001.
“An innocent South African mother, whose identity may have been stolen as part of the alleged fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother, suffered as a result because she could not register her child,” said the department.
The department said it has broadened its investigation to identify and pursue any officials involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme and is obtaining legal advice on the implications of the alleged fraudulent activity on Adetshina’s citizenship status.
“Upon the completion of the investigation, Home Affairs intends to press criminal charges against all implicated parties,” the department said.
“There are ongoing engagements with all stakeholders, including Adetshina’s mother.”
