Gigaba must answer for Gupta citizenship tomorrow in Portfolio Committee

The briefing earlier today by Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, on the status of the Gupta’s South African citizenship, has only inspired more confusion and the matter is now as clear as mud.

Tomorrow, Gigaba will be back in the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and he must answer to whether he or the IEC has misled Parliament and the people of South Africa.

Gigaba stated that neither Ajay Gupta nor Atul Gupta are South African citizens as Ajay did not renounce Indian citizenship and Atul never applied for South African citizenship.

However, reports indicate that not only does Atul Gupta have a South African passport and identity number, ending in the digits 080 which are only assigned to South African citizens.

The DA can also confirm that Atul Gupta, Arti Gupta, Shivani Gupta, Rajesh Gupta are all registered voters on our voter registration system. Further, if you enter the ID number, allegedly belonging to Atul Gupta on the IEC website, it confirms that the person is registered as a voter at the Saxonwold Primary School.

Tomorrow, Gigaba must own up and clarify if the any of the Gupta’s have South African passports, ID numbers and if the Gupta's voted in any national or municipal elections.

The DA has already laid a formal complaint against the Public Protector requesting that she investigate Gigaba for lying under oath during court proceedings and violating the Constitution during his previous tenure as Minister of Home Affairs.

In a court judgment, a full bench of the High Court in Pretoria in the matter of Fireblade Aviation (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Home Affairs Case No: 85376-2016/93450-2016, In the judgment, Minister Gigaba was found to have “…deliberately told untruths under oath” and that his decisions and conduct in the matter were found to be so far out of step with the law that Judge Tuchten concluded that “…the Minister has committed a breach of the Constitution so serious that I could characterize it as a violation”.

The South African public deserves to know exactly what is going on and how it is that passports and ID numbers were issued and members of the family at the heart of state capture which has seen billions, which should have been spent on improving the lives of South Africans, stolen.

Statement issued by Haniff Hoosen, DA Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, 6 March 2018