Minister Gigaba directs DG to brief media on naturalisation
Last year, a falsified naturalisation letter was leaked by opposition parties and spread widely by media, the document was used to suggest that Ajay Gupta and his family of dependents were naturalised irregularly specifically within my tenure.
Following my redeployment to Treasury the matter was repeatedly explained to the committee by the Director-General. He explained that Ajay Gupta and his dependents applied for citizenship and followed the process prescribed by the law. Upon being notified that they would have to renounce their Indian citizenship, Ajay Gupta chose not to and is therefore not a South African citizen but remains in the country on Permanent Residency status.
This was the matter that was clarified with Home Affairs Portfolio Committee in which all members of the opposition are represented, following which the clarity was accepted by the committee.
I have noted now the confusion has shifted to Atul Gupta and his citizenship, partly because in yesterday’s media briefing I erroneously referred to Atul Gupta in the same breath as Ajay, on the matter I was dealing with in Parliament. Let me put it on the record more clearly the matter of Atul Gupta, in my tenure at Home Affairs, I have never received an application from Atul Gupta nor Rajesh Gupta.
In the nature of Home Affairs protocols, we are limited to sharing people's private information when there isn't a question of irregularity but given public interest I have opted to override these protocols and share the full history of Gupta families documentation in history.
I trust this will inform those concerned and also show beyond a doubt the falsehood of the narrative that I "opened the Gupta floodgates" as evidenced in media headlines, which are a complete falsehood. Accordingly, I have directed the DG to deal with the naturalisation of the entire Gupta family at a media briefing this today, Wednesday, 7 March 2018.
Members of the media are invited to the briefing as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Venue: Ronnie Mamoepa Media Centre, Tshedimosetso House, Pretoria – with a link to the GCIS Imbizo Centre in Cape Town.
Time: 15h30
For media enquiries:
Mayihlome Tshwete
Cell: 072 869 2477
