JUST IN: Home Affairs finds evidence of fraud by Chidimma Adetshina’s mother

The Department of Home Affairs said it has found prima facie indications of fraud committed by Chidimma Adetshina’s mother after it launched an investigation into her citizenship.

Adetshina is a contestant in the upcoming Miss South Africa event.

There’s been massive controversy over Adetshina’s participation in the popular pageant in light of her having a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother, despite having been born and raised in South Africa.

Investigations

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber shared the details of the prima facie evidence on Wednesday.

Schreiber said 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, based on the information uncovered by Home Affairs investigators thus far.

“The organisers of the event sent the department a request to verify the citizenship of a contestant, Chidimma Adetshina. This request was accompanied by written consent from both Adetshina and her mother.”

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Prima facie evidence

Schreiber said that 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.”

“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,” Schreiber said.

Schreiber 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.

Criminal charges

“The Department 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 and upon the completion of the investigation, Home Affairs intends to press criminal charges against all implicated parties,” Schreiber said.

Schreiber said 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,” Schreiber said.

Final update

Schreiber said his department will provide a final update once the investigation into the Adetshina investigations is concluded.

The 31-year-old Adetshina was born at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto and raised in Pimville. She later moved to Cape Town, where she stayed with her parents.

Apology

Meanwhile, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said in a Facebook Live to Patriotic Alliance (PA) members that he would apologise if it were proven that Adetshina has South African citizenship.

“I don’t know if this lady is South African or not. But as a leader, I must investigate. We are busy investigating, and the media is on top of me. So, if the media’s job is to bring out she was born in South Africa, show us the paperwork that she’s South African.

McKenzie said if Adetshina were to win the Miss SA competition and it was proven that she was not South African, there would be an uproar.

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