Recently re-appointed Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba claimed yesterday Atul Gupta was not a South African citizen – but TimesLIVE says it has proof that Atul is in fact a citizen. Contained in thousands of #GuptaLeaks e-mails is a copy of Atul’s South African passport.

The date of issue is 31 July 2015, and the document is valid for 10 years. Under ‘Nationality’, the passport lists Atul as ‘South African’. Gigaba, who was Home Affairs Minister between May 2014 and March 2017, made pronouncements on the citizenship of Atul while clarifying allegations that he had treated Atul’s older brother Ajay and his family preferentially when Ajay, his mother Angoori, wife Shevani and two sons, Surya and Kamal Singhala, applied for naturalisation in 2013.

The application was rejected, Gigaba explained, because Angoori Gupta had spent more than 90 days out of the country since the granting of her permanent residency permit in 2003.

According to regulations, if a family applies and one member did not qualify for any reason, the entire application would then be denied.

Gigaba and Home Affairs DG Mkuseli Apleni were providing feedback at a media briefing following meetings the pair had with the National Assembly’s Home Affairs Committee to answer questions over the Gupta’s naturalisation.

Gigaba said he was ‘happy’ the issue was now resolved and was confident the committee had accepted their explanations.

During the media briefing, Apleni also stated that Atul and Ajay were not South African citizens and that they had been travelling on Indian passports. Gigaba also stated that Atul ‘had never applied’ for citizenship. Gigaba's spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete said in response to queries over the apparent contradiction, that Gigaba had not vocalised his meaning properly. ‘Minister Gigaba was saying that Atul never applied to him (for citizenship). Which is a fact.'

Full TimesLIVE report