The drama surrounding former Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina continues to unfold, with the Department of Home Affairs poised to cancel her South African ID document, leaving her facing a potential stateless future.
While Adetshina is currently competing for the Miss Universe Nigeria crown, her South African citizenship is under intense scrutiny. The Department of Home Affairs, in a press briefing outside Parliament, announced that investigations into Adetshina's citizenship are ongoing, with suspicions that her South African ID could be fraudulent.
The department alleges that Adetshina's Mozambican mother may have stolen someone's identity when registering her birth. "In the event that the director-general cancels the identity document, it would mean the registration is fraudulent, and therefore, that status is fraudulent under the law," a Home Affairs official stated.
The department is also looking into the role of Adetshina's father, who was involved in her registration.
This news has sparked widespread celebration among South Africans, with many calling for Adetshina's arrest if she is still in the country. Social media has been abuzz with reactions, with users expressing their relief and demanding accountability.
"Arrest her father and mother now. Deportation must start immediately," commented Prof Moya on social media.
"And this nonsense that she's stateless must end today," added Neilwe_T.
"South Africa is slowly becoming what a country should look like," echoed Gilikanqo Njokweni.
The investigation has revealed that two officials from the Department of Home Affairs are currently under investigation for their alleged involvement in the fraudulent birth registration. One of the officials has since died, while the other two are being investigated.
Advocate Constance Moitse, head of the department's counter-corruption unit, stated that the investigation is progressing and conducted with the involvement of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
She further mentioned that the department is seeking legal advice on the implications of the alleged fraudulent activity on Chidimma's citizenship status.
"Our drive towards digitisation will help eliminate instances of fraudulent interference," added Moitse.
The case dates back to 1995 when Chidimma's mum, born in 1982, applied for her ID document in Tshwane. However, when she attempted to collect it, she was informed that it had to be collected in Joburg, a location she had not applied in.
In 2001, after giving birth to a child, she discovered that a child had already been registered under her ID number, the child being Chidimma. After months of struggling to obtain a birth certificate for her child, the department issued her a new ID number, allowing her to finally register her child's birth.
Currently, Chidimma is recognised as a South African citizen based on her mum's identity, which is now under scrutiny.
"Her status is directly linked to her mum’s, and if the DG cancels the mum’s identity documents, it'll mean that Chidimma’s birth registration was fraudulent and can't be legally upheld," explained a department representative.
Chidimma might be able to apply for citizenship under Section 43 of the Birth Registration Act, assuming she was born in the country. However, the department emphasised that drafters of the legislation likely didn't foresee a scenario involving a fraudulent birth registration, complicating her situation.
"The critical issue we need to address is whether the cancellation of her status would render her stateless, or whether she holds Nigerian or Mozambican citizenship. The cancellation of her status could, indeed, leave her stateless," the department concluded.
