Guptas’ early citizenship legit – Gigaba
‘We have no doubt this has been handled by the book,’ says finance minister
FINANCE Minister Malusi Gigaba has confirmed he gave Ajay Gupta and his family early citizenship and that the letters circulated on Monday by Julius Malema were genuine. But Gigaba said yesterday there was nothing untoward in his actions in granting citizenship to the Gupta family when he was home affairs minister. This is despite the family not having stayed in the country long enough to apply for naturalisation.
Gigaba called the media outrage an unfortunate sideshow.
“We have no doubt this has been handled by the book in terms of our laws‚” he said.
Furthermore‚ there was no bombshell in relation to this matter‚ given everything was done within the prescripts of the law.
Gigaba’s spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said: “The granting of naturalisation certificates of this nature is not unusual.
“Similar courtesies have been extended to prominent business- men‚ including executives of multinationals‚ and sports people.”
But immigration practitioner Leon Isaacson said it was almost impossible to get early citizenship even if you were a euro billionaire with holdings in the country.
His company has represented three cases for citizenship with dollar and euro billionaires who employ South Africans and have vast investments in the country, but all three were turned down.
The statement from the Treasury complains the media is worrying about the saga when economic growth is needed.
“It is‚ therefore‚ unfortunate that the focus of the nation is diverted towards spurious sideshows when the country is faced with massive economic challenges,” it said.
“The minister calls on all sectors of South African society to channel their energies on the urgent priority of boosting economic growth and rebuilding confidence in the economy following the credit-rating downgrades.”
In the interest of transparency‚ Gigaba had asked home affairs to make the motivation pertaining to this particular application available to the media‚ Tshwete said.
Isaacson said the documents granting citizenship were unusual. The letter from Gigaba granting Ajay and his family citizenship is vague and does not name the people being granted citizenship.
“Citizenship documents are very specific and name the individual‚” Isaacson said.
The letter grants the whole family citizenship. “The law does not make provision for this as citizenship is given to individuals.”
It was reported yesterday that Gigaba‚ when he was home affairs minister‚ appeared to have bent over backwards to award the Gupta family citizenship‚ according to letters leaked by the Economic Freedom Fighters. One of the letters, which appeared to bear Gigaba’s signature‚ was dated May 30 2015.
In it, Gigaba wrote to Ajay Gupta saying the family’s representations had resulted in their application for citizenship being successful.
“I have decided by the virtue of the powers vested in me to waive the residential requirements in regards to your application for naturalisation and grant you early naturalisation‚” the letter read.
But five months earlier, then home affairs director-general GG Hlatshwayo had written to the family refusing their application on the grounds that they had not lived in South Africa for the required five years.