Miss SA: Chidimma Adetshina’s mum stole South African woman’s identity

South Africa Department of Home Affairs has revealed more about the investigation launched into Chidimma Adetshina’s citizenship authenticity.

Ms Adetshina competed in the just-concluded Miss South Africa pageant on 10 August at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.

Ms Adetshina withdrew from the pageant won by Mia Le Roux following her mother’s alleged identity theft and backlash from South Africans.

On 8 August, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Home Affairs Department commenced an investigation into Ms Adetshina’s citizenship following a request from the Miss South Africa organisers and outcry from South Africans.

The Department further announced that its preliminary investigation showed Ms Adetshina’s mother may have committed fraud.

Upon her withdrawal, Ms Adetshina, born in South Africa to a Nigerian father, a Mozambique mother, and now a naturalised South African, was extended an invitation to contest the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant.

The 300-level law student who accepted the invitation is contesting as Miss Taraba State at the ongoing Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, which will have its grand finale on 31 August.

On Tuesday, PSAFLIVE, a South African media outlet, posted a statement on its X page regarding Ms Adetshina’s ongoing citizenship investigation.

Home Affairs Statement

The statement released by Home Affairs followed a presentation by Advocate Constance Moitse, Head of the Counter-Corruption Unit, to the Parliament’s Home Affairs Portfolio Committee on the ongoing investigation.

The statement revealed that the South African mother whose identity was allegedly stolen by Ms Adetshina’s mother has been identified.

The statement partly read: “The Department has relied on its records to establish that the South African mother whose identity may have been stolen was registered by her mother in 1982, and as a result, she entered the National Population Register. Her birth was registered in Tshwane. In 1995, she applied for an ID. Three months after the application, she returned to Home Affairs to collect the ID. On her return to Home Affairs, she learnt that her ID was issued in Johannesburg at an office she had not applied for.

“She then gave birth in 2001. When she went to register her child at Home Affairs, she discovered a child was registered under her ID number. The child that was registered was Miss Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina. She then spent months before she could be given a new identity number. Home Affairs has visited the address listed for Ms Adetshina’s mother and that of the lady whose ID was stolen. The information the lady’s family shared, whose ID was stolen in Tshwane, matches the details in DHA records.”

Legal advice

Furthermore, the Department stated that it is obtaining legal advice on the implications of the alleged fraudulent activity on Ms Adetshina’s citizenship status.

Home Affairs noted that the case highlighted the need for caution as the Department implements the court order on blocked IDs.

They said: “Ms Adetshina’s mother was issued a Promotion of Administrative Justice Act letter on 07 August 2024. Her response to this letter will determine the final decision that the Department will take about the ID she is currently carrying. The Department’s ongoing investigation also looks at other important areas for a fair and accurate conclusion of this case.

“The Department’s investigation is at an advanced stage. This investigation now includes the involvement of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks.) The Department’s drive towards digitisation will eliminate instances of fraudulent interference”.

Officials involved

According to the Department, three officials allegedly conspired with Ms Adetshina’s mother to commit the identity theft.

Additionally, the Department noted that the officials involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme are being investigated.

“The Department has identified officials who registered the birth at the Home Affairs Office in Johannesburg. One of the officials has since passed on. The Department is investigating two other officials who may have been involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme”, the statement added.

READ ALSO:Miss Universe Nigeria: Chidimma not given preferential treatment, underwent rigorous screening — Guy Murray-Bruce

Background

This newspaper reported that the controversy surrounding Ms Adetshina’s eligibility started after she entered the pageant.

As she advanced in the competition, she became crucial in the xenophobia and national identity debate.

Despite calls for her disqualification, the pageant organisers confirmed her eligibility.

However, the criticisms intensified when her marriage video was discovered and deemed a violation of pageant guidelines.

According to them, a married, divorced woman or a nursing mother is not eligible to compete for Miss South Africa. However, as their website outlines, the Miss South Africa organisation’s guidelines clarify that being married, divorced, or a mother does not disqualify contestants from participating in the pageant.

According to the South African Citizenship Act, an individual automatically qualifies for citizenship if they are born in South Africa, if at least one of their parents is a South African citizen, or if a South African permanent residency permit holder or a South African citizen adopts them.

This Act provides the legal basis for Ms Adetshina’s South African citizenship as she is a dual citizen of South Africa and Nigeria.