By Kaya 959 News
Former home affairs minister, Malusi Gigaba is unlikely to face any remedial action for his role in the Guptas’ naturalisation debacle.
The office of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane says remedial action would serve no judicious purpose as he is no longer a member of parliament.
An investigation by the Public Protector found that while Gigaba breached the executive ethics code, he did not abuse his power.
The report, which was released on Monday, found that Gigaba had the right to exercise his discretion and waive certain requirements when granting members of the Gupta family early naturalisation.
He did, however, fail to table the names of the naturalised individuals in parliament, which is required when citizenship is granted under exceptional circumstances.
The public protector’s office investigated the matter after receiving complaints from the DA and EFF in November 2017 and March 2018 respectively.
Gigaba made headlines in 2018 when he claimed during a briefing that Atul and Ajay Gupta were not citizens of South Africa.
He later admitted he made a mistake.
Mkhwebane’s report found that Gigaba misrepresented facts when dealing with the matter.
While Gigaba is seemingly off the hook, the Public Protector’s spokesperson, Oupa Segaole, says action can be taken against officials who are still working at Home Affairs.
“There is some action that the Public Protector wants the current minister to take and the DG, but those relate to the processes that govern how the issue of citizenship and naturalisation are handled going forward so that we avoid those kinds of things.
“For instance, the DG has been directed to take cognizance of the findings in the report and ensure such conduct does not recur,” he told Kaya 959 News.



