ActionSA calls for SA citizenship audit amid Miss SA debacle
ActionSA wants a comprehensive citizenship audit in the country.
The request comes after a Department of Home Affairs investigation revealed prima facie evidence of fraud and identity theft against the mother of Miss SA contestant Chidimma Adetshina.
The 23-year-old law student, who has made it to the Top 11 for the 2024 pageant, has been a topic of intense debate on social media due to her nationality.
Adetshina was reportedly born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and a mother of Mozambican descent, raising questions about her eligibility to compete in Miss SA.
ActionSA's Lerato Ngobeni said a review conducted by the Ministerial Committee on the Issuance of Permits and Visas in June 2022 revealed that 36,647 fraudulent permit and visa applications were detected.
She said 12,177 of those were from Nigerian nationals.
"Yet again, in a tale all too familiar to South Africans, this incident is but one more in a long list of abuses, corruption and criminal circumvention of our immigration laws stretching over decades, which we believe has not only shattered the integrity of our immigration system but also dangerously compromised South Africa’s national security.
"Widespread corruption, Department of Home Affairs’ structural deficiencies, lax controls, porous borders, and ultimately failing law enforcement have left South Africa’s immigration system vulnerable to an onslaught of abuses."
Ngobeni vowed to monitor the progress of the investigation by Home Affairs.
"We urge DHA to swiftly demonstrate to both South Africans and potential lawbreakers that it is intolerant of corruption, fraud and violations of our immigration laws," she added.
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