Pretoria, South Africa – Kamal Singhala, son of fugitive businessman Ajay Gupta, has had his South African citizenship revoked by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.
The decision, announced in a letter to Singhala on Thursday, follows an investigation into inconsistencies surrounding the granting of Singhala’s citizenship in 2015. The letter demands the return of Singhala’s naturalisation certificate.
The controversy stems from the handling of Singhala’s citizenship applications. His initial application, submitted in 2015, was rejected by then-Minister Malusi Gigaba based on a recommendation from the department's review committee.
However, nine months later, Gigaba approved a second application, despite Section 5(8) of the Citizenship Act stipulating a one-year waiting period between applications. This discrepancy formed the basis of Minister Schreiber's investigation.
The timing of Singhala's citizenship approval coincides with allegations of state capture involving the Gupta family and former Minister Gigaba. The state capture commission's reports implicated Gigaba in facilitating state capture at various entities, including Denel.
While Gigaba, now an ANC MP, admits to dealing with Singhala, he denies providing any assistance. However, the swift approval of Singhala's second application raises serious questions about potential impropriety.
Adding further complexity to the situation, Rapport reported that Singhala is separately pursuing a court application to compel the Department of Home Affairs to issue a passport for his daughter.
A motivational letter written by Ashu Chawla, director of the Gupta company Oakbay Investments, to Minister Gigaba supporting Singhala's application cited "exceptional circumstances" due to Oakbay's significant investments in South Africa.
However, Minister Schreiber dismissed this reasoning, noting that none of the citizenship applicants were Oakbay directors at the time and that Singhala's second application made no mention of his connection to Oakbay Investments.
Minister Schreiber's letter directly addresses Singhala's failure to adhere to the one-year waiting period mandated by the Citizenship Act. He states that despite Singhala’s personal attacks, he did “not deal with the concerns I raised about your failure to wait for a period of at least one year from the date upon which you were advised of the then minister’s decision not to grant you citizenship prior to reapplying.”
The Gupta family, at the centre of a major South African corruption scandal, faces numerous allegations of using their influence to secure lucrative government contracts and misappropriate public funds. Their alleged involvement in state capture has sparked widespread public anger and demands for accountability.
Ajay Gupta, Singhala's father, is one of the three Gupta brothers accused of state capture. He was arrested in India in May alongside his brother-in-law Anil on charges of abetment to suicide, though both were later released on bail and barred from leaving the country.
Warrants remain outstanding in South Africa for Ajay's brothers, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, due to their alleged involvement in state capture, with extradition attempts from Dubai proving unsuccessful.
