Minister’s failure to attend question session angers MPs Gigaba ‘mistaken’ about Gupta mines can be made Atul not being an SA citizen operational, Mantashe says

HOME Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba’s absence during parliament’s oral question session with MPs sparked a commotion in the house as members slammed his no-show.

As soon as opposition MPs realised Gigaba was not in the chamber during question time they started shouting “where’s the liar”.

Gigaba has been under pressure lately as the home affairs portfolio committee probed him on Tuesday on the naturalisation of the controversial Gupta family‚ while the committee probing the alleged capture of Eskom also wants him to appear before it.

DA MP Hannif Hoosen had wanted Gigaba to explain to parliament how many foreigners had been granted South African citizenship since April last year.

But the Q&A session quickly degenerated due to Gigaba’s absence.

“We respectfully would like to check with you if Minister Malusi Gigaba has actually given reasons for his absence today‚ because he goes around lying to South Africa‚ now he’s avoiding parliament,” EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said.

Ndlozi was later ejected from the house for declining to withdraw calling Gigaba a liar on the basis of a recent court finding that the minister had lied under oath.

Speaker Baleka Mbete later read a letter from Gigaba’s office‚ explaining that he had been booked off due to ill-health. – TimesLIVE AS Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba picked up flak regarding his comments on the Gupta family’s citizenship and naturalisation‚ the department was forced to admit yesterday that Atul Gupta was indeed a South African citizen.

This follows a vehement denial by the newly reappointed Gigaba a day earlier that both Atul and Ajay were citizens, stating that their application for citizenship was null and void as they had not renounced their citizenship of India.

But yesterday the department backtracked‚ saying Gigaba had mistakenly told a briefing on Tuesday that Atul was not a citizen. In fact‚ home affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni said Atul had been naturalised in November 2002 and Rajesh in July 2006.

“However‚ of the five [Guptas who applied for naturalisation]‚ four members of the family‚ excluding Ajay Gupta‚ were naturalised after they fulfilled the requirement to renounce their Indian citizenship given that India does not allow dual citizenship‚” Apleni said.

But even this contradicts Gigaba’s predecessor Hlengiwe Mkhize‚ who previously stated that the two brothers‚ Atul and Ajay‚ were granted citizenship based on business investments and social partnerships with 75 North West schools‚ among other things.

Yesterday Gigaba again failed to arrive during a scheduled question session to ministers in parliament. THE business rescue practitioners of eight Gupta-owned mines – including Optimum‚ Brakfontein‚ Koornfontein and Shiva – have given hope that the mines can be made operational‚ Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said in parliament yesterday.

Mantashe made his first appearance before the portfolio committee on mineral resources, which is probing the situation at the mines.

Workers at Optimum have been on strike recently over concerns about the non-payment of salaries.

Mantashe said he had engaged with the trade union at Optimum and would go there today to discuss the situation at the mine with workers. He had been assured by the business rescue practitioners that workers and creditors had been paid and that the mines were working.

“They gave hope that the mines can be brought back into operation,” he told MPs.

Optimum was placed under business rescue late last month, precipitated by the Bank of Baroda’s withdrawal of its banking facilities.

The mine has been issued with a non-compliance notice for failing to adhere to its social and labour plan commitments and rehabilitation obligations.

The financial provision for the rehabilitation of Optimum and Koornfontein mines is held by the Bank of Baroda.