Lebeya confirms Hawks handling identity theft case tied to Miss SA contestant

Chidimma Adetshina

Cape Town – The case of identity theft involving the mother of former Miss South Africa contestant Chidimma Adetshina has been escalated to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Unit, a report said on Monday.

This was confirmed during a media briefing over the weekend by Hawks director Godfrey Lebeya, who emphasised that the unit will not make arrests until sufficient evidence is gathered.

The Hawks, also known as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), are handling the investigation with a focus on thoroughness before approaching any suspects.

“Because when we approach a suspected person, what we shall be doing is to warn the person in terms of the Constitution, section 35, that you have the right to remain silent and the like. So based on that, it is always important that you investigate and complete your matter before you approach the suspect,” EWN quoted Lebeya as saying.
He also revealed that Gauteng remains the leading province for serious crime in South Africa.

“A total number of 673 suspects, representing 637 natural persons and 36 juristic persons, were secured before the various courts in the country. Of these natural persons, 489, which is 77%, are South Africans while 148, which is 23%, are foreign nationals.

“Of the 673 suspects, the Serious Organised Crime Investigation secured 370, the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation secured 234, while the Serious Corruption Investigation secured 69 suspects.

“Most of the arrests were effected in Gauteng province with 167; KwaZulu-Natal province with 114; North West province with 92; Mpumalanga province with 57 and Eastern Cape province with 56 suspects,” Lebeya said.

He highlighted ongoing efforts to combat police killings, public violence incitement, and other serious crimes, noting that fighting national priority offences remains a significant challenge.

In the first quarter of 2024/2025, 21 police officers were killed, with 16 of them off duty and five on duty.


“The DPCI shall continue to effectively respond to these crimes. Twenty-one members were killed in the 1st quarter of 2024/2025 with sixteen  of those having been killed whilst off duty and five whilst on duty.

“Eighteen arrests were effected of which nine were effected on the 21 cases reported for the period while nine were on eight cases registered prior to the 1st quarter,” Lebeya said.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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