from DION HENRICK in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN, (CAJ News) – THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola to explain why South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, allegedly received former president Jacob Zuma and State Capture accused Ajay Gupta during a visit to India this week.
The party said it had submitted parliamentary questions to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) seeking clarity on the circumstances surrounding the reception, as well as what action, if any, would be taken against Sooklal.
DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation, Ryan Smith, said the party wanted Lamola to account for what it described as an inappropriate use of South Africa’s diplomatic resources.
“The DA has submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, to determine why the South African High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, rolled out the red carpet for former president Jacob Zuma and State Capture accused Ajay Gupta upon a visit to India this week,” Smith said.
Smith added that the DA was also seeking answers on whether the High Commissioner would face any consequences.
“The DA also calls on Minister Lamola to inform the republic as to the consequences High Commissioner Sooklal will face for this act which undermines the government of South Africa,” he said.
The party argued that the alleged reception was particularly concerning in light of the country’s continued efforts to address the legacy of State Capture.
“As South Africa continues to grapple with the full extent of Jacob Zuma’s nine-year assault on the state during his disastrous presidency, which saw rampant corruption, the unchecked capture of state departments and the wanton desecration of oversight institutions, DIRCO continues to entertain Zuma and his allies outside of our borders where they remain out of reach of justice,” Smith said.
He said Lamola needed to explain why South African diplomats were engaging with individuals the DA holds responsible for the country’s decline during the State Capture era.
“Minister Lamola must explain to the republic why South African ambassadors are facilitating foreign meetings with Zuma and the Guptas who are responsible for the demise of our country and the theft of an entire generation’s future at the altar of greed and unbridled thievery,” Smith said.
According to Smith, the alleged engagement sends the wrong message to South Africans who continue to feel the effects of corruption.
“While South Africans yearn for opportunity stolen from them by Zuma and the Guptas, Minister Lamola oversees a foreign service which continues to not only reward them but publicly parade their freedom and evasion of consequence,” he said.
Smith also argued that Lamola, having previously served as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, should recognise the significance of the allegations.
“Formerly serving as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Minister Lamola should know all too well the extent of Jacob Zuma’s assault on our country and its people aided and abetted by the Guptas,” he said.
“He cannot turn a blind eye to DIRCO’s flagrant abuse of the foreign service and state resources to parade Jacob Zuma and Ajay Gupta around Indian temples in a taunting display of impunity.”
The DA said that, as a member of the Government of National Unity, it expected those implicated in State Capture to be held accountable.
“As a member of the Government of National Unity, the DA expects those responsible for State Capture to meet the full might of the law and be punished accordingly,” Smith said.
“The DA will not tolerate DIRCO’s abuse of state resources to prop up Zuma-era corruption and insult the people of South Africa from whom Jacob Zuma and Ajay Gupta have stolen livelihoods and prosperity.”
“The GNU is not the Zuma-era status quo, and Minister Lamola cannot oversee a department which seeks to perpetuate it,” Smith said.
DIRCO had not responded to the DA’s allegations at the time of publication.
– CAJ News