London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

Woman 'denied New Zealand residency for being too fat and told to leave country'

Woman 'denied New Zealand residency for being too fat and told to leave country'

South African national Mondelea Bezuidenhout, 36, who once weighed 20 stone, was horrified when officials told her she needed to lose almost five stone to be allowed to live in New Zealand with her young family.
Mondelea Bezuidenhout claims she was told to shift nearly five stone or leave New Zealand
A woman claims she was denied residency in New Zealand because she was " too fat ".

Mondelea Bezuidenhout moved from Port Elizabeth in South Africa to Palmerston North in New Zealand in 2018 to begin her new life with her partner and young kids.

Seeking a way to stay their permanently with her family, she applied for residency.

But she was horrified to learn that officials had trashed her application because her body mass index (BMI) is "too high", she claims.

One study on the use of BMI in modern medicine published in the British Journal of General Practice went as far as to call the use of the measurement standard "unethical".

The main issue is that BMI doesn't measure a person's body fat when compared to muscle - a significantly heavier form of tissue.

Officials said 36-year-old Mondelea's excess weight could put considerable strain on New Zealand's government-funded healthcare system.

She claims to have been told to shift 30kg (four stone and seven pounds) of weight or to get out of the country.

Mondelea said she was allowed to remain in the country after being granted a special dispensation at an appeal.

She claims officials refused the application because she would put too much strain on the public healthcare system.

Mondelea slashed a massive 10 BMI points from her score and managed to secure a GP referral saying she was in good health.

And now Mondelea, who once weighed 128 kilogrammes (20 stone), has raised eyebrows by saying she wants to become a plus-size model.

She told South African media: "I've always wanted to be a plus-size model, like the Donna Claire ladies - I even named my daughter Donna- Lee."

She now plans to become a plus-size model.

Mondelea told how she now works out five days a week and is "not bothered by fat shamers who made me feel as if I was a criminal".

The mother of two added: "I've always been bigger than other people and I've accepted myself for who I am."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×