Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says government has raised concern over alleged misconduct by South African High Commissioner to India, Ambassador Anil Sooklal, adding that International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has requested a report and that possible disciplinary steps may follow the findings.
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Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says former president Jacob Zuma is showing the middle finger to South Africans and undermining the country’s foreign policy and criminal justice system in relation to Gupta-related state capture allegations.
Speaking during a media briefing on Friday, Ntshavheni also raised concerns over South Africa’s efforts to secure mutual legal assistance to bring the fugitive Gupta brothers back to the country, saying government expected its officials abroad to act in line with the law rather than assist those facing criminal charges.
She said it was unacceptable that a government representative was allegedly acting in a manner that compromised efforts to return fugitives to South Africa to face justice.
“It’s a level of disgrace that our own employee, the representative of the government of South Africa help knobs with the criminals instead of doing his work off to ensure that the fugitives are brought back into South Africa, so that they can face that criminal effect,” Ntshavheni said.
Ntshavheni added that International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola had requested a full report on the matter, with government indicating that “drastic steps would be taken” where officials were found to be undermining the law while representing the the country abroad.
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She also said government was reviewing the privileges afforded to former state presidents, warning that such benefits could be reconsidered if they were abused.
“Government is entitled to review such privileges if they are abused to undermine the laws of this republic,” she said.
Ntshavheni accused the former president of repeatedly undermining the state, foreign policy, and legal processes, adding that his conduct reflected ongoing disregard for the country’s institutions.
“This is not the first instance in relation to this particular state president that he undermines the not only the foreign policy of the country but also the laws of the country,” she said.
She further criticised what she described as inappropriate conduct by South African High Commissioner to India, Ambassador Anil Sooklal, saying it weakened public trust and the integrity of the criminal justice system.
''The messaging is very wrong from Ambassador Anil Sooklal because he's directly undermining the criminal justice system of this country and showing a middle finger to South Africans who pay his salary instead of him performing his tasks as required by the laws of this country,” she said.
Ntshavheni said it was also “very disturbing” that a former state president could act in a manner she described as openly contemptuous of South Africans.
“We have lost a lot of money through the Gupta brothers, shenanigans in our country, and continues to show the middle finger and claims that he wants to run this country again. It shows the type of person he is, and it's for South Africans to judge,” she said.
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