The South African authorities have arrested the mother of Chidimma Adetshina, the current Miss Universe Nigeria, Anabela Rungo, over allegations of irregularities in her residency status and fraudulently obtaining a South African identity document.
A statement on Sunday confirming the arrest of Rungo issued by the Department of Home Affairs spokesperson, Siya Qoza, said the woman who is Mozambican national, was apprehended at a hideout in Cape Town on Saturday in a joint operation by Home Affairs investigators and the South African Police Service.
Qoza stated that Rungo had been declared persona non grata in September 2024 after officials uncovered irregularities in her residency status and had been placed on the wanted list by the Department.
“Investigators from the department, assisted by SAPS, detained Anabela Rungo 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,” he added.
Qoza accused Rungo of deliberately defying the country’s immigration laws, despite being declared undesirable.
“It appears that Rungo has defied her ‘undesirable’ status through her Mozambican passport. Investigations are ongoing into further potential misrepresentation and fraudulent conduct.
“After being processed by Home Affairs over her illegal continued residence in South Africa, she will be handed over to SAPS, as she is also the subject of an ongoing Hawks investigation,” he added.
Adetshina’s mother’s residency status had come under scrutiny following the controversy surrounding her participation in the Miss South Africa beauty pageant after a petition had questioned her eligibility as a citizen of the country due to her Nigerian origin.
The controversy led to her withdrawal from the pageant and was offered a chance to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant which she won and went on to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico last November, finishing as the first runner up.
However, the searchlight which had beamed on her mother had refused to die down as the South African authorities intensified their search for her.
A report in a South African tabloid also stated that at the time of Rungo’s arrest, she was reportedly with Adetshina’s child, prompting the authorities to engage the Department of Social Development and SAPS Child Protection Services to ensure the child’s welfare.