Anabela Rungo, the mother of Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has been arrested by the Department of Home Affairs in Cape Town, South Africa.
She was detained over allegations of fraudulently obtaining a South African identity document.
The department’s spokesperson, Siya Qoza, said their investigators, assisted by the police, swooped in on Anabela Rungo on Saturday morning, February 15, 2025.
“Investigators from the Department of Home Affairs, assisted by the South African Police Service (SAPS), this morning detained Anabela Rungo, the mother of Chidimma Adetshina, at a property in Cape Town,” Qoza said.
“The department withdrew Rungo’s South African documentation in September 2024 after finding that it had been fraudulently obtained, rendering her ineligible to continue residing in South Africa.
“In an apparent act of brazen disregard for the legal consequences of her conduct, it appears that Rungo has defied her ‘undesirable’ status through her Mozambican passport.
“Investigations are ongoing into further potential misrepresentation and fraudulent conduct.”
“During the operation this morning, investigators from the Counter Corruption and Immigration Services branches of the department also found Adetshina’s under-age child residing with Rungo.
“After being processed by Home Affairs over her apparent illegal continued residence in South Africa, Rungo will be handed over to the SAPS as she is also the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.”
Qoza said Home Affairs was further liaising with the Department of Social Development and SAPS Child Protection Unit as it relates to protecting the interests of the under-age child.
“The department will provide further updates at opportune moments.”
Rungo was arrested after Chidimma Adetshina was spotted at a restaurant in Cape Town earlier this week.
A video posted on social media showed her sitting with a group of ladies at the restaurant.
South Africans expressed concern about how Adetshina was able to return to the country after her South African ID was revoked and her travel documents were seized by Home Affairs.
The controversy began with Adetshina’s Miss South Africa beauty pageant entry when the origins of her name sparked a debate about her citizenship among internet users.
Home Affairs investigated and discovered that Adetshina’s mother, a Mozambican national, stole someone’s identity when applying for a South African ID in 1995. This stolen identity was then used to apply for Adetshina’s South African ID.
As a result of the investigation, Home Affairs announced that Adetshina’s mother was barred from entering South Africa, and her South African identity and travel documents were revoked pending further investigation.
