The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) said it found prima facie indications of fraud committed by Chidimma Adetshina’s mother, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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The department also said that the ongoing investigation into the citizenship of Adetshina, a contestant in the upcoming Miss SA event, has broadened since the original request received from the organisers of Miss SA.
The organisers initially sent the department a request to verify the citizenship of Adetshina, accompanied by written consent from both Adetshina and her mother.
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Based on the information uncovered thus far, the department 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;
- Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as she was an infant at the time when the alleged activities occurred in 2001;
- An innocent South African mother, whose identity might 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 broadened its investigation to identify and pursue any officials involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme and is obtaining legal advice on the implication of the alleged fraudulent activity on Adetshina’s citizenship status;
- The department will press criminal charges against all implicated parties once the investigation is complete.
In a statement, the department said engagements with all stakeholders, including Adetshina’s mother, are ongoing.
‘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,’ it said.
‘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 law as well as the rights of all parties.’
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Picture: official_misssa / Instagram
