In the wake of recent revelations by the Department of Home Affairs concerning Chidimma Adetshina’s citizenship, ActionSA has called for a comprehensive audit of all citizenship records in South Africa.
This comes after the department’s announcement that it had uncovered prima facie evidence of fraudulent activity by Adetshina's mother.
The Patriotic Alliance has meanwhile approached the North Gauteng High Court to prevent Adetshina from participating in the Miss SA pageant.
Lerato Ngobeni, ActionSA's parliamentary chief whip, emphasised the urgency of this matter, stating: “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.”
A report from June 2022 by the Ministerial Committee on the Issuance of Permits and Visas revealed an alarming statistic — 36,647 fraudulent permit and visa applications were identified, with 12,177 originating from Nigerian nationals alone. This highlights that Adetshina's case is merely the tip of the iceberg.
The ongoing issues, including widespread corruption, structural deficiencies within the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), lax controls, porous borders, and ineffective law enforcement, have left South Africa's immigration system vulnerable.
“This crisis demands a thorough audit of all issuances of South African residency and citizenship to put an end to the rot that has compromised our immigration regime once and for all,” Ngobeni said.
ActionSA said it was committed to monitoring the investigation's progress and “urges the DHA to take decisive action against corruption, fraud, and violations of immigration laws”.
Ngobeni said in Parliament, ActionSA has already begun efforts to hold the DHA and law enforcement agencies accountable, ensuring the strict enforcement of immigration laws to protect the country's sovereignty and national security.
The Patriotic Alliance has instituted urgent legal action to interdict Miss SA finalist Chidimma Adetshina from partaking in the pageant and intend to have the matter heard on Saturday, August 10 at 10am.
The PA said they were waiting to confirm with a senior judge to allocate the matter.
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