Naturalisation of Guptas ‘not dodgy’

Home Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni acknowledges that the naturalisation of the Gupta family into SA was not tabled before Parliament as required, but maintains that the process of naturalisation itself was above board.

Home Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni acknowledges that the naturalisation of the Gupta family into SA was not tabled before Parliament as required, but he maintains that the process of naturalisation itself was above board.

He was briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs on Tuesday, a week after he failed to show up.

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who approved the naturalisation while still home affairs minister, and his successor, Hlengiwe Mkhize, were a no-show again, even though their appearance was on the agenda. This prompted calls from opposition MPs that the ministers be subpoenaed to brief the committee.

“Our only failure that we committed, and which we acknowledge, is that the approval was not submitted and tabled. We will never come here and lie to Parliament .... They [the Guptas] were not illegal. They were not reapplying but they were exercising their right in terms of law,” Apleni said.

Apleni said the tabling of the naturalisation was omitted innocently: “It can’t be that failure to table equates to a questionable approval process.”

DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said the only way to get to the bottom of the process was to summon and question Gigaba. “It is a pity the minister of home affairs is not here because we can’t ask how she will act.… There appears to be no other option but to subpoena ministers because there is a concerted attempt at ducking accountability,” he said.