Former cabinet minister Malusi Gigaba has admitted he regrets ever meeting the controversial Gupta family, though he maintains he was never involved in their alleged corruption schemes.
In a radio interview, the ANC NEC member reflected on his association with the family at the heart of South Africa’s state capture scandal. “Knowing what I know now, I wish I’d never met them,” Gigaba said. “But I never took their money or did business with them.”
The Guptas, close allies of former president Jacob Zuma, were found by the Zondo Commission to have improperly influenced government appointments and contracts. Gigaba – who held key ministries including finance and public enterprises – faced allegations of facilitating the family’s access to state resources, which he continues to deny.
“My regret is that my name got tied to a scandal that hurt both the country and the ANC,” he said, calling the association “damaging” while insisting he wasn’t part of “any corrupt arrangement.”
The comments come as the ANC attempts to rehabilitate its image ahead of 2024 elections. Analysts view Gigaba’s statement as both personal damage control and part of the party’s broader effort to move past the state capture era.
While Gigaba seeks to clarify his legacy, many South Africans remain skeptical about officials linked to the Gupta scandal, which exposed systemic corruption during Zuma’s presidency. The former minister’s carefully worded regret stops short of admitting wrongdoing, leaving his exact role in one of democracy’s lowest points still debated.