South Africa’s Home Affairs declares that it’s obtaining the legal advice concerning the citizenship status of Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina. The South African mother whose identity was stolen by Chidimma’s mother has now been identified.
Reportedly, she couldn’t register her child due to this issue and the update was presented to the South African Parliament.
The Department of Home Affairs probe has revealed that three of its employees were involved in the possible fraudulent activity around the South African citizenship of former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina.
As per the sources, the home affairs department gave a presentation to parliament’s home affairs portfolio committee regarding the ongoing investigation of the department on Adetshina’s citizenship.
Head of the Department’s Corruption Unit – Advocate Constance Moitse, addressed the portfolio committee and said that the investigation is now at an advanced stage.
Moitse said that the department identified three home affairs officials who allegedly registered Adetshina’s birth at a home affairs office in Johannesburg.
The Advocate said that one of the officials has since died and the other two are still being investigated for the alleged fraudulent scam. She added that the two officials under investigation are still working for the department.
She mentioned that the department has brought in the Hawks to investigate the possible fraudulent activity surrounding the South African citizenship of former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina.
Moitse confirmed that the ongoing investigation of the department is looking at other areas that are important so that there is a fair and accurate conclusion to this case. The investigation on department is at an advanced stage.
She further described that the investigation will now include the involvement of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. The drive towards digitisation by the department will eliminate instances of fraudulent interference.
The case highlights the need for caution as the department implements the court order on blocked ID’s. She reiterated the stance of the department that there are prima facie reasons to believe that the fraud and the identified theft may have been committed by the person recorded in home affairs records as Adetshina’s mother.
She said that 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.
Moitse also shared that an innocent South African mother suffered due to the alleged identity theft because she could not register her child. She said that the victim’s identity may have been stolen as part of the alleged fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother.
The Head Advocate said that during the investigation they all relied on evidence from hospitals, the department’s archives and municipalities to trace and find the real South African mother whose identity was allegedly stolen.
She added to her statement that the department identified three home affairs officials who allegedly registered Adetshina’s birth at a home affairs office in Johannesburg.
Moitse said one of the officials has since died and the other two are still being investigated for the alleged fraud. She stated the two officials under investigation are still working for the department.
She cleared that the department’s evidence through its records showed that the South African mother whose identity may have been stolen was registered by her mother in 1982 and as a result she was entered into the National Population Register.
She said the mother’s birth was registered in Tshwane and she applied for an ID in 1995. When she returned to home affairs, the mother learnt her ID was issued in Johannesburg at an office. She had not applied for an ID at this office.
“When the woman gave birth in 2001 and went to register her child at home affairs, she discovered there was a child registered under her ID number.
“The child registered was Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina. The woman spent months before she could be given a new identity number. She was eventually given a new identity number,” said Moitse.
She said as part of the department’s investigation, it is communicating with Adetshina’s mother. Moitse said the department is waiting for her response to the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act letter. The correspondence was issued to her on August 7, 2024.