Minister of Home Affairs Hlengiwe Mkhize on Monday announced the precautionary suspension of director general Mkuseli Apleni in a statement.
The suspension comes after the department has come under great pressure over decisions made to grant the controversial Gupta family naturalisation in South Africa.
Without an explanation for the suspension the brief statement simply said: “The Home Affairs Minister‚ Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize‚ announced that the department’s Director-General‚ Mr Mkuseli Apleni‚ has been placed on precautionary suspension as of today‚ 18 September 2017”.
In June Apleni admitted to Parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs that the approved naturalisation of the controversial Gupta family in SA was not tabled before Parliament as required.
However‚ he insisted that the process of naturalisation itself was above board.
At recent meetings in Parliament Apleni also distanced himself from a letter floating around in social media pertaining to the naturalisation. He said its dates on the letter deviate from those in the actual naturalisation process‚ rending its authenticity questionable.
Apleni told the committee that the Guptas applied for naturalisation as a family and that according to law‚ if one member of an applicant family does not meet the requirements for naturalisation‚ the entire family’s application is unsuccessful.
By: Khulekani Magubane – BusinessLIVE
Source: TMG Digital.
