South African Opposition Party Demands Answers After Chidimma’s Mother Spotted in Nigeria
ActionSA, a prominent South African opposition party, has called on the Department of Home Affairs to explain how Chidimma Adetshina’s mother, a key figure in a fraud and corruption investigation, managed to leave South Africa and travel to Nigeria.
Chidimma Adetshina had withdrawn from the Miss SA pageant due to safety concerns linked to the department’s probe into her status. Recently, she was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2024.
In August, the Department of Home Affairs revealed that there were preliminary indications suggesting that the individual listed as Adetshina’s mother might have been involved in fraud and identity theft. This situation potentially prevented a South African woman, whose identity may have been misappropriated, from registering her child.
The department clarified that Adetshina could not have been involved in her mother’s alleged fraudulent activities, as she was an infant at the time in 2001.
ActionSA’s chief whip, Lerato Ngobeni, noted that during the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs meeting on August 20, the department indicated that its investigation into the fraud and identity theft was progressing and involved the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).
Ngobeni expressed concern that the subject of this investigation was seen in Nigeria over the weekend during the Miss Universe Nigeria broadcast. “Given the investigation’s focus on bypassing immigration controls, it’s troubling that travel restrictions were not enforced,” she said.
A June 2022 report by the Ministerial Committee on the Issuance of Permits and Visas revealed that out of 36,647 fraudulent applications detected, 12,177, or about one-third, came from Nigerians, highlighting the scale of the issue.
Ngobeni emphasized that these figures point to significant efforts to undermine South Africa’s immigration system. ActionSA insists that the government must rigorously enforce immigration laws, particularly when cases of fraud, such as those involving Chidimma Adetshina’s mother, come to light.
