Former Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina during the Miss Universe Nigeria boot camp in Lagos on 24 August 2024. Picture: AFP / Fawaz Oyedeji
The Department of Home Affairs has announced that it will revoke the identity and travel documents of former Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina, along with those of her Mozambican-born mother.
On Tuesday, Home Affairs officials appeared before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee to update MPs on ongoing investigations into corruption and other related matters.
Home Affairs director-general Tommy Makhode told the members of the committee during the meeting that the department’s counter corruption and security services completed its investigation and the matter was referred to the Hawks.
“That matter is currently with the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation].
“They have concluded that investigation according to [Hawks head] General [Godfrey] Lebeya, they are now waiting for the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] to advise them on the next steps,” he said.
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Makhode explained that Adetshina and her mother did not respond by the 28 October deadline to provide reasons for retaining their South African documents.
“As of yesterday, we have not received any response and, therefore, the department will be proceeding with the withdrawal of those documents in line with the Identification Act,” the Home Affairs director-general continued.
He added that Adetshina and her mother could face fraud charges.
“It’s a case of fraud that’s been reported that the Hawks are pursuing against both the mom and herself.”
Meanwhile, Albert Matsaung, the acting deputy director-general for immigration at Home Affairs, informed MPs that departmental officials visited a property registered to Adetshina in an effort to locate her mother.
Matsaung confirmed that the mother has not yet been arrested because she could not be found at the residence.
“When we check on the movement control register, the information that we have got still confirms the mother to be in the country.”
The acting deputy director-general stated that Home Affairs could not clarify how Adetshina travelled to Nigeria last month to support her daughter at the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, which she won, as her registered passport number showed no recorded movement in the department’s systems.
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He also noted that photographs from the event in Nigeria, shared on social media, appear to feature Adetshina’s mother.
“The mother appears mostly on social media, [including] Instagram.
“The facial looks of the person who was on stage and the profile of the mother were compared to be the same, but we couldn’t find a trace of the passport that she has been using to come to South Africa from Mozambique of the movement that went down to Nigeria.
“The matter is still under investigation,” said the acting Deputy Director-General for immigration, Albert Matsaung.
Adetshina’s latest Instagram posts show that she was in the United States.
She will participate in the Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to take place in Mexico on 16 November.
Adetshina, a 23-year-old law student born in Soweto, made headlines this year by entering the Miss South Africa competition.
However, she withdrew from the contest on 8 August, citing safety concerns stemming from contentious speculation about her nationality.
Her withdrawal followed a statement from Home Affairs, which alleged that her mother may have obtained her citizenship fraudulently by assuming another person’s identity.
This claim arose after an investigation into archival records and hospital visits.
The department also identified the mother and child impacted by the alleged identity theft.
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