PRETORIA, Gauteng — The highly controversial Jacob Zuma India trip has triggered a severe diplomatic and political backlash in Pretoria, with the South African government demanding urgent answers over the former president’s meetings with fugitive Gupta brothers. As the cabinet launches an investigation into the conduct of the country’s top diplomat in New Delhi, officials are also overhauling state-funded travel privileges for former heads of state to prevent future abuses.
The Haridwar Meeting and Viral Claims
The controversy erupted following Zuma’s late June visit to a temple in Haridwar, a holy city in northern India located near Saharanpur, the ancestral hometown of the Indian-born Gupta family. Viral footage and local media reports captured the former president alongside Ajay Gupta and South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal.
During the visit, Zuma was recorded telling local journalists that he was meeting a “brother and a friend” who had been forced to leave South Africa because “some people didn’t like their friendship.” While he did not explicitly name Ajay Gupta, the context was clear. In separate remarks to Indian media, Zuma stated he was seeking blessings from a religious figure because he intends to contest elections again and “make South Africa great again.”
Cabinet Condemnation and Diplomatic Fallout
The optics of the meeting have drawn fierce condemnation from the highest levels of the South African government. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, briefing the media on the outcomes of a recent cabinet meeting, sharply rebuked both Zuma and High Commissioner Sooklal.
Ntshavheni accused the diplomat of “hobnobbing” with criminals and showing a “middle finger” to the South African taxpayers who fund his salary. She emphasized that Sooklal’s conduct directly undermines the nation’s criminal justice system and foreign policy, noting that his role should be facilitating the return of fugitives, not socializing with them.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has formally requested a comprehensive report from the High Commission regarding the alleged involvement of the embassy in organizing the visit. Lamola warned that drastic steps will be taken to ensure no government representative undermines the laws of the republic while in office.
Reviewing Presidential Privileges
In response to the scandal, the government announced a thorough review of the privileges extended to former state presidents. Currently, the state funds travel requests for former heads of state but does not track their private itineraries. However, officials warned that if these privileges are abused to undermine national laws or foreign policy, the funding will be curtailed. Ntshavheni noted that this is not the first instance where the former president has allegedly undermined the country’s foreign policy while utilizing state resources.
Internal MK Party Friction
While the uMkhonto weSizwe (MKP) Party initially defended Zuma, stating he is a private citizen free to travel, the trip has exposed internal divisions. Mac Maharaj, a former head of the MK Party presidency, heavily criticized the visit as a disastrous political miscalculation, particularly with local government elections scheduled for November 4.
Maharaj revealed that during his tenure, he had personally blocked this specific trip to meet the Guptas on four or five separate occasions. He alleged that the meeting was hastily organized by other party members immediately following his departure, calling it a bad political move ahead of the elections.
The Fugitive Context and Asset Forfeiture
The Gupta brothers—Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh—remain central figures in South Africa’s state capture scandal, accused of siphoning billions of rands from state coffers during Zuma’s administration. Both Zuma and the Guptas have consistently denied the allegations, labeling them as politically motivated.
South Africa has formally applied for mutual legal assistance to bring the fugitives back to face justice. Atul and Rajesh Gupta were arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2022, but the extradition bid failed due to a legal technicality. In response, the South African government has moved to seize and sell the brothers’ multi-million-rand luxury estates to recover stolen state funds. Meanwhile, the Guptas continue to face heightened scrutiny and financial enforcement raids in India.
Domestic Unrest: Migration Protests in KwaZulu-Natal
Beyond the diplomatic scandal, the cabinet briefing also addressed severe domestic unrest regarding illegal migration, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Sporadic protests and shutdowns have erupted over the repatriation of undocumented migrants, prompting the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to maintain order and protect property in various hotspots across the province.
A repatriation center originally located in Durban has been relocated to Musina to process foreign nationals, including citizens from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Mozambique.
Election Fears and the “Third Force”
Police Minister Firoz Cachalia warned that the unrest smacks of political interference, suggesting a “third force” is weaponizing migration protests to influence the upcoming November 4 local government elections. Research indicates that illegal migration is a highly volatile socio-economic issue for voters facing high unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
Tensions are further fueled by competition in the labor market, with undocumented migrants taking over sectors such as carpentry, tiling, welding, gardening, and domestic work—jobs that some locals claim they are forced to take or avoid. Government spokespersons urged the public to trust law enforcement agencies to quell the tensions and minimize damage to public and private property.
Regional Diplomatic Efforts
On the international front, the government highlighted ongoing diplomatic efforts to manage migration. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently held talks with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, where migration was a key agenda item alongside the Deputy Minister of International Relations.
Additionally, African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula recently traveled to Mozambique, holding extensive discussions on migration with Mozambican President Daniel Chapo and leaders from the ruling FRELIMO party. These engagements underscore the regional focus on addressing the complex challenges of cross-border migration ahead of South Africa’s critical elections.