“Gigaba’s handshake will never be seen in the same light,” said a Twitter user on Tuesday.
He is one of several people on social media, and most probably at water coolers across South Africa, who have questioned whether those who the minister has shaken hands with in the past, or will in the future, will have reservations about touching skin with Gigaba now that it is widely known where those hands have been.
Many prominent people both locally and abroad have crossed palms with our former finance minister and current minister of home affairs.
Whether the man formerly known as number 1 has any regrets about the many times he and Gigaba have shared a shake or not is unclear. He was not available for comment at the time of publication of this article.
Mr Li Zhixhuan from China South Railways looked delighted to shake Gigaba’s hand back in 2012 after the controversial Gupta-linked train deal was signed. If he knew then what we know now, it’s possible the smile on his face would not be quite as wide.
This picture of Zuma, Gigaba, and New Development Bank president Kundapur Vaman Kamath shows that the minister is not averse to the occasional “threesome”.
Whether Gigaba has also shaken the hands of members of the Gupta family is a matter of speculation. Deputy Chief Justice Zondo has not yet had the opportunity to ask the minister about this at the commission of inquiry into state capture.
Attempts to contact Gigaba for comment were unsuccessful, as the honourable member’s hands were apparently tied.
DISCLAIMER: This story is not meant to be taken seriously.
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