EFF: Gigaba illegally granted Guptas citizenship
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say they have approached their lawyers to challenge the legality of the Gupta family's South African citizenship.
The party claims to be in possession of correspondence between the Department of Home Affairs and the Gupta family, stating that their application for citizenship has been declined.
A second letter, signed by the former Minister of Home Affais, Malusi Gigaba then informed the controversial family that their citizenship has been granted.
"We have received reliable information that whilst he was minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba unduly granted the Gupta family South African citizenship," the party says.
They add that a letter from Mr. GG Hlatshwayo on behalf of the Director General denied the Gupta's South African citizenship stating that they "did not comply with the requirement in terms of section 5(1)(b) of the South African Act 2010”.
In the letter, Hltashwayo indicates that the Gupta family did not have 5 years of physical residence in South Africa.
"In less than a few months Malusi Gigaba, in a letter dated 2015-05-30, then wrote to the Guptas granting them what he terms early naturalisation," the EFF says.
In the letter, Minister Gigaba states that "after careful consideration of the matter, I have decided by the powers vested in me under section 5(9)(a) of the South African Citizenship Amendment Act, 2010 (Act no 17 of 2010), to wave the residential requirements in regards to your application for naturalisation and grant you early naturalisation".
"Gigaba has effectively used this clause to make favours to his friends the Gupta family in a situation where there are absolutely no exceptional circumstances to bypass the law. The only exceptional thing enjoyed by the Gupta family is a close relationship with Gigaba," the party says.