The Department of Home Affairs has announced plans to cancel the identity and travel documents of former Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina and her Mozambican-born mother, who both may face fraud charges.
On Tuesday, the department briefed Parliament’s portfolio committee, revealing that the Hawks had taken over their investigation.
This follows public scrutiny of Adetshina’s nationality, which arose when she advanced as a Miss SA finalist months ago.
Director General Tommy Makhode shared that neither Adetshina nor her mother responded by Monday’s deadline to present reasons for retaining their South African documents.
Officials reportedly visited Adetshina’s registered address in an attempt to locate her mother, who they believe remains in South Africa.
However, questions remain over her mother’s reported travel to Nigeria last month to support Adetshina, who won the Miss Universe Nigeria title.
Images from the event posted on social media suggest that Adetshina’s mother left South Africa during the investigation, despite no evidence of a passport showing travel from Mozambique to Nigeria.
Albert Matsaung, acting Deputy Director-General for immigration, stated, “We couldn’t find a trace of the passport she has been using to enter South Africa from Mozambique regarding her travel to Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, social media updates indicate that Adetshina recently departed from the U.S. to Mexico, where she’s representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant.