Anabela Rungo, aged 46, the mother of the winner of Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 and the first runner-up of Miss Universe 2024, Chidimma Adetshina, has been accused of identity theft.
Rungo was taken into custody over the weekend and appeared in front of the Cape Town Magistrates Court for a bail hearing.
According to an immigration officer, Rungo had been residing in South Africa despite being banned from entering the country.
A warrant for her arrest was issued when she failed to present valid documents, citing that they had been lost.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Rungo had used someone else’s identity document and had even submitted an application to the Department of Home Affairs under the name Sara Moyo, a legitimate citizen of South Africa.
The Department of Home Affairs has since removed the false identity number from their records.
Although Rungo claimed her documents were misplaced, her Mozambican passport showed multiple trips to South Africa without official departure records.
Rungo was taken into custody with her two-year-old grandchild, and authorities confiscated a laminated item.
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.
