Miss Universe Nigeria Chidinma’s mother charged with identity theft
Anabela Rungo, 46, mother of Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 winner and Miss Universe 2024 first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina, has been charged with identity theft.
Rungo was arrested over the weekend and appeared at the Cape Town Magistrates Court for a bail hearing.
An immigration officer revealed that Rungo had stayed in South Africa despite being prohibited from entering the country.
A warrant for her arrest was issued after she failed to provide valid documents, claiming they had been misplaced.
The court discovered that Rungo had used another person’s identity document and even applied to the Department of Home Affairs under the name Sara Moyo, a legitimate South African citizen.
Home Affairs has since removed the false identity number from its records.
Although she claimed her documents were lost, her Mozambican passport indicated several trips to South Africa without official departure records.
Rungo was arrested with her two-year-old grandchild, and authorities seized a laminated copy of Adetshina’s birth certificate from her residence. She faces charges of violating both the Immigration Act and the Identification Act and remains in custody, as bail would leave her in the country illegally.
