Chidimma Adetshina’s Fraudulent Birth Certificate Exposed

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has announced an investigation into two officials from the Department of Home Affairs for alleged involvement in a fraudulent birth registration linked to Chidimma Adetshina’s mother.

Three officials are suspected of being connected to the case, with one having died and the other two under investigation.

Advocate Constance Moitse, head of the department’s counter-corruption unit, confirmed that the investigation, in collaboration with the Hawks, is advancing.

She noted that the department is also seeking legal advice on how the alleged fraud might affect Chidimma’s citizenship status.

The case traces back to 1995 when Chidimma’s mother, born in 1982, encountered issues with her ID document in Tshwane. She was later informed that her document had to be collected in Johannesburg, which she had not originally applied for.

In 2001, Chidimma’s mother found that a child had been registered under her ID number. After significant delays, she was issued a new ID number and was finally able to register Chidimma’s birth.

Chidimma is currently recognized as a South African citizen based on her mother’s identity, which is now under scrutiny.

The department is evaluating whether the cancellation of her mother’s identity documents could render Chidimma stateless or if she holds citizenship from another country.

The department’s digitization efforts aim to prevent such fraudulent activities in the future.