Identity Fraud Charges Filed Against Chidinma Adetshina: South Africa’s Home Office Updates
Chidinma Adetshina, a contestant in the Miss South Africa pageant, is currently facing serious allegations involving identity fraud related to her mother.
The South African Department of Home Affairs has found prima facie evidence suggesting that Adetshina’s mother may have committed identity theft around 2001, which could impact Adetshina’s own citizenship status.
This investigation was initiated following a request from the pageant’s organizers to clarify Adetshina’s eligibility, given her Nigerian and Mozambican heritage.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber stated that while Adetshina herself is not implicated in any wrongdoing—since she was an infant at the time of the alleged fraud—her mother’s actions have drawn scrutiny and may have denied another South African citizen the right to register their child.
The department plans to pursue criminal charges against those involved once the investigation is completed.
Adetshina remains among the finalists in the competition, and despite these allegations, she has been cleared to participate as she holds valid South African identity documents.
However, the ongoing investigation leaves her future in the pageant uncertai