The Department of Home Affairs has arrested Anabela Rungo, the mother of Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adeshina, over allegations of fraudulent residency.
According to Siya Qoza, the department’s spokesperson, Rungo was detained on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at a residence in Cape Town in an operation involving Home Affairs investigators and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“The department withdrew Rungo’s South African documentation in September 2024 after determining it had been fraudulently obtained, making her ineligible to continue residing in the country,” Qoza said.
Investigators allege that Rungo defied her “undesirable” status by using a Mozambican passport to remain in South Africa. Authorities are also investigating further potential cases of fraud and misrepresentation.
During the raid, officials discovered an underage child of Adeshina residing with Rungo.
Home Affairs is now working with the Department of Social Development and SAPS Child Protection Unit to ensure the child’s welfare.
Rungo will be handed over to the SAPS for further processing as she is also under investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.
The arrest follows social media speculation after Chidimma Adeshina was spotted dining with a group in Cape Town earlier this week. South Africans questioned how she was able to re-enter the country despite having her South African identity and travel documents revoked.
The controversy surrounding Adeshina’s citizenship began when she entered the Miss South Africa beauty pageant.
Investigations revealed that her mother, a Mozambican national, had fraudulently obtained a South African ID in 1995, which was later used to apply for Adeshina’s South African documents.
Home Affairs has since revoked both Rungo’s and Adeshina’s South African identities and travel permits, barring Rungo from entering the country pending further investigation.