The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) of South Africa has released preliminary findings from an investigation into the nationality of beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina.
Chidimma, a model with Nigerian ancestry, was involved in a recent controversy regarding her eligibility to compete in the Miss South Africa competition.
The 23-year-old South African native was raised in Soweto. Before relocating to Pimville, her parents are claimed to have first met in Johannesburg in the late 1990s.
After she advanced to the round of 16, last month, the question over her nationality quickly gained pace on social media platforms.
Some X users demanded that she be disqualified for her participation in the competition, drawing harsh criticism to her involvement.
The South African Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, announced on August 5 that the department had opened an inquiry into Chidimma’s citizenship following official request for information from Miss SA organisers.
According to Schreiber, Chidimma and her mother both gave their permission to the request.
However, the DHA said in a statement late on Wednesday that there is preliminary evidence indicating Adetshina’s mother may have committed identity theft and fraud.
Home Affairs, however, asserted that Chidimma was not a part of the fraudulent activities because she was a minor at the time of the accused crimes in 2001.
The statement revealed that a South African woman, whose “identity may have been stolen in the process, has suffered significant consequences, including the inability to register her child”.
“From the information we have uncovered thus far, the Department of Home Affairs 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,” it reads in part.
“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.”
The DHA 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”.
[MEDIA STATEMENT] Ongoing Home Affairs investigation finds Prima Facie indications of fraud committed by Chidimma Adetshina’s mother. #TeamHomeAffairs #DHAServiceDelivery @GCISMedia pic.twitter.com/X5Dy2fWjNW
— HomeAffairsSA 🇿🇦 (@HomeAffairsSA) August 7, 2024
HOME AFFAIRS TO PRESS CRIMINAL CHARGES
“Upon the completion of the investigation, Home Affairs intends to press criminal charges against all implicated parties,” it added.
“There are ongoing engagements with all stakeholders, including Adetshina’s mother.
“This case, which stems from alleged fraudulent activities committed 23 years ago, highlights the urgent need for the digital modernisation of Home Affairs applications, adjudication and verification processes, to insulate the Department against fraudulent interference, similar to the reforms undertaken at the South African Revenue Service in the late 2000s.
“The case also highlights the reason for the Department’s blocking of certain duplicate IDs, and that the court-ordered unblocking of these documents must be handled with caution.
“Throughout this process, Home Affairs is guided by our commitment to both restoring and upholding the rule of the law as well as the rights of all parties.”
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