Minister fails to turn up at home affairs hearing

Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize and her directorgeneral, Mkuseli Apleni, failed to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on her department on Tuesday to discuss the naturalisation of the Gupta family.

Their appearance was postponed to next Tuesday. At the time of the committee meeting, Apleni was briefing the National Council of Provinces.

The committee said it would also summon former home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba to appear next Tuesday. Gigaba, now the finance minister, granted the Guptas early naturalised citizenship of SA, a decision many say was not proper.

The EFF recently presented e-mails as evidence that Gigaba had speeded up the process to clear the way for the Guptas. The party has brought a criminal case against Gigaba.

Portfolio committee chairman Lemias Mashile said the committee would not accept the e-mails as their authenticity had yet to be established.

Mashile told reporters after the meeting that the committee would seek legal advice about the documents required for proof, whether it could call Gigaba to discuss the work of a past committee and whether the scope of questioning would be sub judice.

“The DG [director-general] will come and brief us and the minister of home affairs. The former minister will also come. In relation to the former minister, it will depend on the legal advice we get from [parliamentary] legal services what that means for us in terms of the pending case,” said Mashile.

EFF MP Hlengiwe Hlophe told the committee that a briefing on the naturalisation of the Guptas was needed, not only from Apleni, but from Gigaba as former minister to get to the bottom of the Gupta issue.

Gigaba needed to be called to account. “We have a right to write to you as the chair and you cannot defend everything that happens. This matter of the naturalisation was exposed by the EFF in a briefing,” said Hlophe.

Meanwhile, a document that appears to be a draft statement from the Department of Home Affairs morning, stating that Ajay Gupta had not been naturalised as a South African citizen and that he had not relinquished citizenship in India, which does not allow dual citizenship, emerged on Tuesday.

Questioned during a policy debate at the National Council of Provinces, Mkhize said reports of application processes done without procedural integrity were worrying.

“Government officials make decisions on facts. We have a responsibility to ensure that our decisions are sound and valid and can stand the test of time. We have to follow policies and legislation,” said Mkhize.

Gigaba’s spokesman, Mayihlome Tshwete, and Apleni could not be reached for comment.