JOHANNESBURG, Sep 9 : South Africa’s Home Minister Leon Schreiber has warned Kamal Singhala, son of fugitive Ajay Gupta, that he faces the prospect of citizenship being revoked.
In a letter to Singhala, Schreiber sought an explanation from him on why it should not be cancelled.
Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh Gupta, from an Indian-origin family, have been accused of siphoning billions of rands in South Africa through their close association with former president Jacob Zuma. The trio and their families fled to Dubai after Zuma was removed in 2018.
In 2023, the UAE refused the request for the extradition of Rajesh and Atul following which South Africa declared them fugitives. The brothers had built a vast empire in the IT, media, and mining sectors.
The assets of the Gupta brothers in South Africa have been frozen amid legal challenges by them to get these released.
An inquiry by the home ministry revealed that Singhala’s first application in January 2015 was rejected by the then Minister of the Department, Malusi Gigaba, who approved it just nine months later after a recommendation from a review committee in the department.
A new application could only be made a year after any rejection in terms of the Citizenship Act.
Gigaba was later accused by the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture of having been very close to the Gupta family. A member of his staff alleged that he had seen Gigaba receive large packages from the Guptas, which was also confirmed by Gigaba’s estranged wife at the time.
Witnesses testified how Gigaba was a frequent visitor at the Gupta estate in a plush Johannesburg suburb. He is accused of using his influence to grant lucrative state tenders to Gupta-owned entities.
In Parliament earlier, Gigaba admitted to having met Singhala but denied granting any of the latter’s requests.
“A new application could, therefore, only be made one year after 22 January 2015. And yet you were granted citizenship on 1 September 2015. In these circumstances, I want to offer you the opportunity for an in-person meeting before I make a final decision in terms of section 5(8) of the Citizenship Act to revoke your citizenship,” Schreiber’s letter to Singhala reads.
This issue comes at a time when Singhala is already involved in court action to force the Department to issue a South African passport for his daughter.
“Home Affairs is committed to doing our part, which means we must address possible violations of the law decisively – including and especially violations from the period known as state capture,” Schreiber told News24.
“If Singhala believes that his naturalisation did not violate the law, he is more than welcome to return to South Africa – along with the entire Gupta family if he wishes – to present his case,” he added.
Schreiber said that he believes that any proud South African whose naturalisation took place legally “will surely have no reason to reject such an invitation from the minister of home affairs.”
In 2016, barely a fortnight after the family fled South Africa, Singhala was in the news for his lavish wedding in Turkey, which reportedly cost €10 million. (PTI )
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