Miss Universe Nigeria contestant Chidimma Adetshina’s mother Anabela Rungo was arrested in Cape Town on Saturday for being in the country illegally. Picture: Instagram

REGARDLESS of her ‘undesirable status’, the mother of Miss Nigeria showed “brazen disregard” for local legislation and remained in Cape Town in spite of her South African documentation being withdrawn, after authorities found it was obtained fraudulently.

Anabela Rungo was detained by the Department of Home Affairs in Cape Town on Saturday, her daughter Chidimma Adetshina was crowned Miss Nigeria in September.

The department’s spokesperson, Siya Qoza, said their investigators were assisted by the police.

“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.

“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,” Qoza said.

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.”

She was arrested after Adetshina was spotted in the Mother City earlier this week.

A video posted on social media showed her sitting with a group of ladies at a 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South Africans expressed concern about how Adetshina was able to return to the country after her South African ID was revoked and her travel documents were seized by Home Affairs.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.

DAILY NEWS