The findings of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (DIRCO) investigation into South African High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal’s diplomatic conduct following the reception of Jacob Zuma during a recent visit to India to meet with Ajay Gupta has exposed a worrying communications divide between the Presidency and DIRCO itself.
The findings of DIRCO’s investigation have now concluded that the Presidency did indeed inform DIRCO of Jacob Zuma’s visit on 19 June 2026, formally requesting that customary protocol be provided. However, in early July Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, was blissfully unaware when she publicly excoriated High Commissioner Sooklal for ‘hobnobbing’ with Jacob Zuma and Ajay Gupta despite presiding over the ministry having given DIRCO and the High Commission strict instructions to prepare for Jacob Zuma’s arrival.
The recent raft of public contradictions between Minister Nsthaveni and Minister Ronald Lamola have exposed a deeply worrying communications divide between two critical nodes of the head of South Africa’s national executive and our diplomatic footprint. This display of interministerial oblivion coupled with repeated instances of ministerial foot-in-mouth do not engender any sense of public confidence in the ANC ministers tasked with upholding the dignity, integrity, and respectability warranted for our government’s top posts.
This report has also brought into sharp question Jacob Zuma’s entitlement to diplomatic provision for international travel as a former Head of State given that he has been found guilty of contempt of the Constitutional Court and still faces a raft of allegations of corruption, fraud, and racketeering which remain unanswered. Should South African taxpayers be footing the bill to accommodate a former Head of State who has yet to answer for allegations which undermined the very fabric of our democracy, our government, and our society over the now infamous nine wasted years?
This entire debacle has only revealed that even South Africa’s diplomatic corps is unable, or perhaps under the ANC, refuses to enact any form of accountability over dodgy politicians and former Heads of State. This is hardly surprising when the ANC deems it fit to nominate some of its most corrupt for ambassadorial postings without a care.
As a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA is committed to spending taxpayer money on sound diplomacy that positions our country as a principled, consistent, and reliable international partner. At the very least, we expect the Presidency and DIRCO to be on the same page.