Malusi Gigaba resigns as minister

Spokesperson Khusela Diko confirmed that Gigaba handed in the letter of resignation to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

"Minister Gigaba did say in his letter to the president that he was stepping aside for the sake of our country and the movement to which he belonged and the he needs to relive the president undue pressure and allow him to rather focus on doing the best he can to serve the country and save it from an economic meltdown."

Transport Minster Blade Nzimande will step in as acting Home Affairs Minister until a permanent appointment is made. 

Gigaba has come under fire after he was found to have lied under oath in his battle with Fireblade Aviation and its request to open a private VVIP terminal at OR Tambo International Airport. 

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Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane also found that Gigaba violated the constitution and the executive ethics code when he told untruths under oath in court. 

Gigaba has also come under scrutiny following claims that the instruction to fast-track the visa applications by the Gupta family came from his office during his first stint as home affairs minister. 

A video of a sexual nature, featuring Gigaba, has also been widely circulated on social media. 

Gigaba was appointed as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in 2004 and subsequently served as Minister of Public Enterprises, Minister of Finance and – for two intervals – as Minister of Home Affairs.