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| Miss South Africa Finalist Chidinma Adetshina Faces Citizenship Fraud Allegations |
The South African government has announced that Chidimma Adetshina's mother, a finalist in the 2024 Miss South Africa pageant, may have been involved in identity theft.
Chidimma was born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother.
Despite being born in South Africa and meeting all competition requirements, Chidimma has faced social media attacks targeting her Nigerian heritage.
A recent circular from the Department of Home Affairs, dated August 7, 2024, provided an update on the controversies surrounding Chidimma’s qualification for the upcoming Miss South Africa event scheduled for Saturday.
Ms. Adetshina’s eligibility to compete in the beauty pageant has been seriously questioned by South Africans.
After making it to the Top 30 and becoming a finalist in the Miss SA competition, she became a central figure in South Africa's xenophobia debate and discussions on national identity.
Criticism intensified on Monday when a video of her marriage surfaced, which many South Africans believed violated the competition's rules.
New information from the Department of Home Affairs’ statement indicated that, given the circumstances of her birth, Chidimma is not qualified to participate in Saturday’s event.
The statement reads: “The Department of Home Affairs provides an update on the ongoing investigation into the citizenship of Chidimma Adetshina, a contestant in the upcoming Miss SA event.
“The investigation has expanded since the original request from the Miss SA organisers, based on information uncovered by Home Affairs investigators.
“The Department provides this public update based on the official request from Miss SA and the consent provided by both the contestant and her mother. A final update will be provided once the investigation is concluded.
“On Monday, August 5, 2024, the event organisers requested the Department to verify the citizenship of Chidimma Adetshina. This request included written consent from both Adetshina and her mother.
“Upon receiving this request, the Department deployed all available resources to establish the truth, including archival research, hospital visits, and site verifications.
“From the information uncovered thus far, the Department of Home Affairs indicates 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;
“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 Department has expanded 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 completion of the investigation, Home Affairs intends to press criminal charges against all implicated parties.
“There are ongoing engagements with all stakeholders, including Adetshina's mother.
“This case, stemming 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 protect the Department against fraudulent interference, similar to the reforms undertaken at the South African Revenue Service in the late 2000s.
“The case also underscores the reason for the Department's blocking of certain duplicate IDs and the need for caution in court-ordered unblocking of these documents.
“Throughout this process, Home Affairs is committed to restoring and upholding the rule of law and the rights of all parties involved.”
“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.”
