Nigerian-born model and Miss South Africa Contestant, Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina has been the subject of controversies over her eligibility due to her nationality.
The debate intensified on social media in July after she advanced to the round of 16.
In response to official requests from Miss South Africa organizers, South African Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced an investigation into Chidinma’s citizenship.
A probe into her citizenship has however led to her mother being accused of fraud and identity theft.
The South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on Wednesday released preliminary findings regarding the investigation into the nationality of the beauty queen.
Reports indicate that Chidinma’s parents met in Johannesburg in the late 1990s before settling in Pimville.
The department’s statement and video suggested that evidence indicates possible fraudulent activities linked to Adetshina’s mother, who allegedly committed identity theft.
The statement clarified that Chidinma could not have participated in these actions, as she was an infant in 2021 when the alleged crimes occurred.
The investigation also noted that a South African mother, whose identity might have been stolen, suffered because she was unable to register her child due to the fraud.
“From the information we have uncovered thus far, we 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 in 2021 when the activities took place. An innocent South African mother, whose identity may have been stolen as part of the fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother, suffered because she could not register her child.”
