Former president Jacob Zuma’s recent meeting with state capture-accused Ajay Gupta at a Hindu temple in Haridwar, India, has sparked demands for his presidential privileges to be revoked.

Former KwaZulu-Natal ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo called on Parliament to debate Zuma’s conduct after he was seen with Gupta, one of three brothers who fled South Africa to Dubai following corruption allegations relating to state capture.

“The Guptas are fugitives from justice in this country. They are criminals. The former president has privileges as the former head of state. Now one thing that must be discussed is whether he still deserves those privileges,” Mtolo said in his weekly TikTok podcast, Mtolo’s Thoughts, posted on Wednesday.

Mtolo argued that the government erred by not revoking Zuma’s privileges when he was sentenced to more than 12 months of direct imprisonment without an option of a fine.

“We made a mistake by ignoring his imprisonment and not revoking his privileges, and now we cannot ignore this one when a former president, who is taken care of by the state, visits a fugitive and sees nothing,” he said.

The visit has also drawn criticism from the Democratic Alliance and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, both demanding answers from Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola about South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, who was seen accompanying Zuma during the trip.

On Wednesday, Lamola confirmed an investigation into Sooklal’s presence, saying that while Zuma was entitled to certain privileges as a former head of state, this did not give him a right to run a parallel foreign policy.

DA MP Ryan Smith said Lamola must explain why South African ambassadors are facilitating meetings with Zuma and the Guptas abroad.

“DIRCO continues to entertain Zuma and his allies outside of our borders, where they remain out of reach of justice,” Smith said.

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said Zuma’s conduct should not shock South Africans, as he never supported the State Capture Commission.

“This is a person who was vehemently opposed to the Zondo Commission, which was instituted by him. He never saw anything wrong with his relationship with the Gupta family,” Breakfast said.

He added that Zuma’s trip could have been intended to solicit funding for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party ahead of the 4 November local government elections.

uMkhonto weSizwe Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu dismissed Mtolo’s comments, saying he was speaking from “political wilderness” following his stint as ANC KZN secretary.

During his visit, Zuma described Gupta as a “brother” and a “friend”, making no reference to the findings of the Zondo Commission, which identified Ajay Gupta as a central architect of South Africa’s state capture.

The Gupta brothers and Zuma have consistently denied allegations of state capture but have not sought to review the commission’s findings.

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