Gigaba tweets detailed defence against Gupta allegations

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba took to Twitter to lay out a case against allegations that he could have possibly aided the Gupta family in their naturalisation efforts.

Gigaba endured a grilling yesterday in by the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday night in which he stated that the Gupta family did not receive any favours from himself or his department to gain early naturalisation.

The minister reiterated his position on social media in the middle of last night saying that given the time of his tenure as Home Affairs minister – including the time he was appointed – the narrative that he could have aided state capture through granting the Guptas naturalisation is false. Gigaba tweeted that Ajay Gupta’s naturalisation under his tenure didn’t happen as the Gupta brother did not renounce his Indian citizenship, which the process required.

“The narrative that I enabled state capture through DHA can only stand if it is alleged that it only started in 2015 and its kingpins were Ajay’s mother, his wife, and his two minor sons – the only Guptas who were naturalised by me,” Gigaba tweeted.

Naturally, the Home Affairs minister’s proclamations on the social media platform have prompted an array of responses – a lot of which are sardonic, to say the least.

Gigaba is also alleged to have facilitated the swift visa approval of Gupta-owned company employees and associates, according to an email trail obtained by amaBhungane and the Daily Maverick.

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