Former ministers �` as well as the incumbent minister of home affairs -
have been identified as possible witnesses to be called to appear
before a parliamentary committee probing the naturalisation of the
Guptas as South Africans.
According to a draft report presented to the home affairs oversight
committee on Tuesday‚ former home affairs minister Mangosuthu
Buthelezi‚ who served in that portfolio between 1994 and 2004‚ has
been identified as one of the prominent people who could provide more
answers on how two of the Gupta brothers became naturalised citizens.
The home affairs committee`s draft report has flagged Buthelezi`s
successors Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula‚ who was the political head of the
department between 2004 and 2009‚ as one of the top people that could
be called to testify.
Current home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba‚ currently in a second
stint in the portfolio following a brief term between 2014 and 2017‚
was also targeted as a witness.
Senior ANC MP Hlomane Chauke‚ who is also chairperson of the home
affairs committee‚ said they were due to meet again on Wednesday
morning to finalise the list of potential witnesses and the issues to
probe further after receiving the draft report from parliamentary
researchers and lawyers.
The committee wants answers in relation to the permits used by Atul
and Rajesh Gupta `initially [to] enter South Africa between 1994 and
1998”.
Atul and Rajesh were issued with naturalisation certificates in 2002
and 2006 respectively.
Former senior officials of the department‚ Richard Sikakane and
Siyamthanda Skota‚ are also likely to be called to testify - while
Gupta business

associates Ashu Chwala and Nazeem Howa are also on the
radar.
The committee wants government officials to answer questions ranging
from the permits used by the Guptas and their family members to first
enter South Africa in 1993‚ alleged irregularities in how they
obtained permanent residence statuses‚ supporting documents backing
claims of investment to the tune of R25-billion‚ and why their
applications were `prioritised faster than other such naturalisation
applications”.
The committee`s report also found that while the Guptas claimed in the
motivations for naturalisation that they were making `social
investments` and donations to schools in the North West province‚ some
of the schools contacted by parliamentary researchers `indicated they
never received a donation from Oakbay Group” ‚ a Gupta-owned company.
Of the 76 schools listed as having received the donations from Oakbay‚
only 11 bothered to respond to queries from parliament - with six
confirming the receipt while the balance denied receiving anything.
Those that acknowledged the `social investments` listed‚ among other
things‚ R1‚000 in prize monies that were paid to leaners who took part
in competitions related to invitations to the Gupta wedding.
Other schools received soccer cones‚ hula hoops‚ soccer balls‚ rugby
balls‚ soccer shirts and shin guards.
The report stated that during a parliamentary inquiry in May this
year‚ some officials from home affairs visited several schools to
collect information related to the donations. V.2393

Turkey Visa for South African Citizens In 2013, the e Visa program was launched by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, enabling citizens of more than 100 countries, such as South Africa, to request a Turkish visa through the internet. Therefore, South African tourists favor Turkey as a destination. South African citizens are no longer required to visit the Turkish embassy in person as they can now conveniently apply for their e-visa online. V.5348
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The Australian High Court passed a judgement on Friday that dismissed an Iranian asylum seeker’s plea to be released from immigration detention and enter the country. The Iranian asylum seeker, applicant ASF-17, applied to the Federal Court of Australia for a writ of habeas corpus in 2023 on the basis that his continuing detention exceeded the constitutional limitation identified in the orders of NZYQ v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs released the week prior. The applicant has been refusing to cooperate with the process of being removed from Australia to Iran since 2018, arguing that he would be at risk of persecution for his sexual orientation and religious beliefs. V.5349
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Home Affairs officials are “selling South Africa to foreign nationals” out of greed, says Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. In an exclusive interview with The Witness on Thursday, Motsoaledi said 182 department officials were dismissed for fraud and corruption between 2018 and 2024. Among those dismissed was a chief director who was implicated in assisting a foreign national in getting a permanent residence permit in the country, at a fee. Those who bear the brunt of the corruption are mostly drug addicts, whose personal information is used by Home Affairs officials to create fake IDs and passports for foreigners. V.5350
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Visa waivers for travellers from Kenya and Ghana have catalysed a remarkable 15.4% increase in international tourist numbers to South Africa. File picture: Tracey Adams/ Independent Newspapers South Africa`s tourism sector is experiencing a renaissance fuelled by the recent removal of visa requirements for travellers from select African countries. The latest data from Statistics South Africa showed a remarkable surge in international arrivals, signalling a promising trajectory for the industry. V.5351
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Visa waivers for travellers from Kenya and Ghana have catalysed a remarkable 15.4% increase in international tourist numbers to South Africa. File picture: Tracey Adams/ Independent Newspapers South Africa`s tourism sector is experiencing a renaissance fuelled by the recent removal of visa requirements for travellers from select African countries. The latest data from Statistics South Africa showed a remarkable surge in international arrivals, signalling a promising trajectory for the industry. V.5352
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Visa waivers for travellers from Kenya and Ghana have catalysed a remarkable 15.4% increase in international tourist numbers to South Africa. File picture: Tracey Adams/ Independent Newspapers South Africa`s tourism sector is experiencing a renaissance fuelled by the recent removal of visa requirements for travellers from select African countries. The latest data from Statistics South Africa showed a remarkable surge in international arrivals, signalling a promising trajectory for the industry. V.5353
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Visa waivers for travellers from Kenya and Ghana have catalysed a remarkable 15.4% increase in international tourist numbers to South Africa. File picture: Tracey Adams/ Independent Newspapers South Africa`s tourism sector is experiencing a renaissance fuelled by the recent removal of visa requirements for travellers from select African countries. The latest data from Statistics South Africa showed a remarkable surge in international arrivals, signalling a promising trajectory for the industry. V.5354
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The City of Cape Town has called on the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to address the visa system crisis and confusion over remote work visas. James Vos, the City’s Mayco member for economic growth, says the department ‘shot itself in the foot’ with the premature gazetting and withdrawal of regulations. ‘On 28 March, the DHA published the amended immigration regulations. This, however, was a day before the closing date of the public comment period. And then, on 12 April, the minister issued a notice withdrawing the 28 March amendments.’ As reported by BusinessTech, the regulations replaced the critical skills list with a new points-based system and introduced the remote work visa category. V.5345
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The City of Cape Town has slammed the Department of Home Affairs for creating confusion and continuing to score “infuriating” own goals in launching remote work visas in the country. Mayoral committee member for economic growth, James Vos, said that the last month has seen the department shoot itself in the foot with the premature gazetting and subsequent withdrawal of regulations that would create this category of visa. “On 28 March, the DHA published the amended immigration regulations. This, however, was a day before the closing date of the public comment period. And then, on 12 April, the minister issued a notice withdrawing the 28 March amendments,” Vos said. V.5346
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Recently settled case in the Labour Court demonstrated that excluding a job applicant because of their criminal record is only lawful when the requirements of that job explicitly outline and justify the need for a clean criminal record. However, legal experts say that the court’s decision ultimately delinked trust and honesty from the inherent requirements of a job, which was “concerning.” ENS Africa’s Nils Braatvedt, Kim Vova, and Lutho Zono examined the background, outcome, and subsequent analysis of the recent court ruling in O’Connor v LexisNexis. V.5347
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