South Africa’s Miss SA beauty pageant faces chaos after the Department of Home Affairs announced evidence suggesting contestant Chidimma Adetshina’s mother may have committed identity theft, leading to questions over Chidimma’s nationality. Born in South Africa to Nigerian and Mozambican parents, Chidimma was already under scrutiny for her “foreign parentage.” Due to that scrutiny, the pageant organizers requested verification of her citizenship from the Department of Home Affairs, leading to the current twist involving Chidimma’s mother. According to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, Chidimma’s mother might have stolen the identity of a South African mother to commit the alleged fraud. However, he emphasized Chidimma’s innocence and called for the modernization of Home Affairs processes to prevent such fraud from occurring again. Schreiber also revealed that the department is expanding its investigation and plans to press charges. She has since withdrawn from the competition.
SOURCE: EAST AFRICAN