Anabela Rungo appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for a bail application while she faces charges related to identity fraud. Picture: Chevon Booysen
An immigration officer took the stand at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday in the bail application matter for Anabela Rungo - mother of former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina.
Immigration Specialised Investigation Unit officer, Adrian Jackson, said he was called on Saturday, February 15, to assist in a counter-corruption matter where he was to meet with a person of interest.
Jackson - who told the court he has 18 years experience in immigration matters - said he then went to the Milnerton SAPS police station where he met Rungo, 46, who was seated in the police general waiting area with a two-year-old child.
Jackson confirmed they arrested Rungo at the police station after she could not provide the unit with legitimate documents, and during an interview process, shD said she had “misplaced” her documents.
Jackson said they had enquired from Rungo - who resides in Mozambique - what her current status in the country was and what status she had previously held.
According to the charge sheet, Rungo remained in the country after being declared a prohibited person and had unlawfully and intentionally come “into possession of an identity certificate belonging to another (and presented it as her own) or belonging to any person other than the person it belongs to” and she had unlawfully submitted “an application to the department of Home Affairs where she identifies herself as Sara Moyo”.
The court also heard that Rungo was declared a prohibited person after the department found she had acquired a fraudulent SA identity document under the name “Sara Moyo” - who is a legitimate citizen of the country and who, since the duplication of her ID during 2001, has “suffered prejudice”.
In opposing the bail application for the State, Jackson further submitted that due to Rungo’s status as a prohibited person but yet still being capable of acquiring fraudulent documents, she “demonstrated that she had no problem acquiring travel documents or an emergency travel certificate” and was able to “manipulate the system”.
Jackson said their investigation against Rungo is at a “sensitive stage” and confirmed the department has since deleted the SA identity number which belonged to Sara Moyo, having given Rungo a chance to make representations but she failed to do so.
While Rungo’s South African passport is still outstanding as a piece of evidence to be handed to the State, Jackson added that Rungo’s Mozambican passport reflected that she had on various trips arrived in the country but there was no reflection that she had departed the country in the period between September 5 - when she was declared a prohibited person - until the date of her arrest on February 15.
On Saturday, Jackson confirmed that one of the documents they seized from Rungo at a Summer Greens residence near Milnerton, was a laminated copy of the birth certificate of Adetshina.
Jackson further stated that the child who had attended the police station with Rungo on the day of her arrest is her grandchild and has since been moved to a place of safety by the Department of Social Development.
Legal counsel for Rungo, Ben Mathewson, during cross-examination submitted that Jackson further submitted that Rungo was within her rights to appeal her current ‘prohibited person’ status in the high court, claiming the department did not follow protocol when serving her with documentation.
Further to court proceedings on Thursday morning, magistrate Sadiqah Guenduoz confirmed an order made last week relating to the media who were not allowed to take frontal pictures or visuals of Rungo at this stage.
The media are only allowed to take pictures of the back of Rungo while court is adjourned.
Rungo was arrested on Saturday by investigators from the Department of Home Affairs, assisted by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The matter was postponed to tomorrow (Friday) for a further bail application hearing.
chevon.booysen@inl.co.za