In brief
A photo of Jacob Zuma meeting Ajay Gupta in an Indian temple has ignited fury among South Africa’s leadership. Cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni condemned the former president as “showing the middle finger” to citizens, while accusing him of attempting to run for office again. The meeting is seen as part of the wider Gupta‑linked corruption saga that led to Zuma’s ouster in 2018. South Africa’s foreign and internal ministries are poised to investigate the encounter, citing parallel foreign policy concerns. The incident underscores ongoing tensions around the state‑capture controversy, with the Gupta brothers still embroiled in legal and political battles abroad.
In a striking turn of events, former President Jacob Zuma was photographed alongside Ajay Gupta at a temple in India, a scene that has sparked outrage among South African officials.
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a cabinet minister, blasted Zuma as "showing the middle finger" to South Africans, challenging his claim that he wishes to run for office again. She warned that the meeting supplied the Guptas – a family tied to a massive state‑capture scandal – with an implicit endorsement.
The Gupta brothers, long accused of profiting from their alliance with Zuma, faced an inquiry that led to Zuma’s removal in 2018. The commission testified that Zuma had sacked Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene in 2015 over dispute with the Guptas and installed ministers more aligned with the family’s interests.
South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry, under International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, has pledged an investigation, suggesting Zuma’s actions constitute a "parallel foreign policy" and are viewed as a direct affront to national stability.
As the nation wrestles with ongoing reforms, this latest episode underscores the enduring power and controversy of the Gupta family’s influence in South Africa’s political landscape.
