Jacob Zuma’s visit to India with state capture-accused Ajay Gupta under the spotlight

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.

This is according to a statement from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which wanted details about Zuma’s visit to India this week.

It had submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Ronald Lamola, to shed light on the matter.

It also asked Lamola what consequences High Commissioner Sooklal will face for this act, which it said undermined the government of South Africa.

“As South Africa continues to grapple with the full extent of Jacob Zuma’s 9-year assault on the state during his disastrous presidency,” said DA MP Ryan Smith.

“During his presidency, South Africa saw rampant corruption, the capture of state departments, and the 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 that Lamola must explain why South African ambassadors are facilitating meetings with Zuma and the Guptas abroad.

“These meetings come after they were responsible for the demise of our country and the theft of an entire generation’s future at the altar of greed and thievery,” he said.

He added that Lamola, as the former Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, should know better.

“He cannot turn a blind eye to DIRCO’s abuse of the foreign service and state resources to parade Zuma and Gupta around Indian temples,” he said.

As a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA expects those responsible for State Capture to meet the full might of the law.

“The GNU is not the Zuma-era status quo, and Minister Lamola cannot oversee a department which seeks to perpetuate it,” Smith said.

Jacob Zuma’s alignment with Ajay Gupta slated

On Wednesday, 1 July 2026, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation slated Jacob Zuma’s alignment with Ajay Gupta.

“The Foundation is disturbed that Jacob Zuma visited a temple in Haridwar, India, alongside the state capture implicated, Ajay Gupta,” it said.

“Rather than viewing this as a standard private visit, South Africans must confront the damning realities established by the judiciary.”

It said that Zuma acted as a central enabler of the Gupta family’s enterprise at the expense of the people of South Africa.

“He routinely abused his presidential authority to remove officials who refused to compromise their integrity,” the Foundation said.

The Zondo Commission identified Ajay Gupta as a central architect of South Africa’s state capture.

It transformed his family business into an organised syndicate that systematically drained public funds from key entities such as Eskom and Transnet.

Through collusion with Zuma, Gupta wielded influence by offering cabinet positions for commercial favours and manipulating government advertising budgets.

“Most alarmingly, reports, photographic evidence, and videos place Sooklal alongside Zuma and Gupta during this visit,” it said.

Like the DA, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation asked for answers from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation about the issue.