Immigration officer testifies in bail hearing for Anabela Rungo! An immigration officer testified at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday in the bail application for Anabela Rungo, the mother of former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina.
Adrian Jackson, an officer from the Immigration Specialised Investigation Unit with 18 years of experience, was called to assist with a counter-corruption case on Saturday, February 15. Jackson testified that he met Rungo, 46, at the Milnerton SAPS police station, where she was seated in the waiting area with a two-year-old child.
Arrest and Investigation
Rungo was arrested at the police station after she was unable to produce legitimate identification documents. During the interview, she claimed she had “misplaced” her documents. Jackson stated that they questioned Rungo about her residency status in South Africa and her prior immigration status.
According to the charge sheet, Rungo remained in the country after being declared a prohibited person. She had unlawfully obtained an identity certificate belonging to another person, which she presented as her own, and submitted a fraudulent application to the Department of Home Affairs under the name “Sara Moyo.”
Fraudulent Identity and Prohibited Status
The court heard that Rungo was declared a prohibited person after authorities discovered she had acquired a fraudulent South African identity document under the name “Sara Moyo.” The real Sara Moyo, a legitimate South African citizen, has reportedly suffered prejudice since her identity was duplicated in 2001.
Jackson testified that Rungo’s ability to acquire fraudulent documents and travel certificates showed she could “manipulate the system.” He argued against granting bail, stating that Rungo posed a flight risk due to her prohibited status and her capacity to obtain false travel documents.
The Department of Home Affairs has since deleted the fraudulent identity number used by Rungo. Jackson confirmed that Rungo was given an opportunity to make representations regarding her status, but she failed to do so.
Ongoing Investigation and Missing Passport
Jackson revealed that Rungo’s Mozambican passport showed multiple entries into South Africa, but there was no record of her departure since she was declared a prohibited person on September 5. Investigators are still searching for Rungo’s South African passport, which is a critical piece of evidence for the case.
During a search of a residence in Summer Greens near Milnerton, authorities seized a laminated copy of Chidimma Adetshina’s birth certificate.
Jackson also confirmed that the two-year-old child who was with Rungo at the time of her arrest is her grandchild. The child has since been placed in a safe location by the Department of Social Development.
Defense Arguments
Rungo’s legal representative, Ben Mathewson, argued during cross-examination that Rungo was within her rights to appeal her prohibited status in the high court. He claimed the Department of Home Affairs did not follow proper protocol when serving her with the documentation that declared her a prohibited person.
Media Restrictions and Case Postponement
Magistrate Sadiqah Guenduoz confirmed a previous order that restricted the media from taking frontal photographs or video footage of Rungo. Journalists are only permitted to capture images of Rungo from behind when the court is adjourned.
Rungo was arrested on February 15 by investigators from the Department of Home Affairs, with assistance from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The bail application hearing has been postponed until Friday for further proceedings.
In other news – Palesa Madisakwane reveals past struggles with ex-lover & baby daddy, Somizi Mhlongo
Actress Palesa Madisakwane recently made explosive allegations about her past relationship with media personality Somizi Mhlongo. Speaking on the Hell and Back podcast (part two), she opened up about enduring emotional abuse and the struggles she faced as a single mother raising their daughter, Bahumi.
Palesa revealed that during her pregnancy with Bahumi, Somizi pressured her to have an abortion. “I was told to abort. When the baby was born, he told me he doesn’t love the baby because he doesn’t love me,” she claimed on the podcast. Read More
