Ronald Lamola Probes DIRCO Official Who Accompanied Jacob Zuma to India

• Ronald Lamola warns Zuma against conducting parallel foreign policy during controversial India visit
• High Commissioner to India attended a religious ceremony with Zuma and state capture fugitive Ajay Gupta
• Calls for accountability arise over state resources used for meetings linked to state capture incidents

GAUTENG— International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola warned that former president Jacob Zuma cannot run a parallel foreign policy. He spoke after reports emerged that South African diplomatic officials accompanied Zuma during his controversial international visit to India to meet state capture fugitives.

According to media reports, Lamola addressed journalists in Pretoria on 2 July 2026, following public outrage over the incident. Lamola confirmed that South Africa's High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, attended a religious ceremony in Haridwar alongside Zuma and state capture architect Ajay Gupta, who remains a fugitive from South African law enforcement agencies.

Jacob Zuma meets Ajay Gupta

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Lamola said his department requested information from the director-general to clarify how the visit happened and why the High Commissioner was involved. He said former presidents are entitled to diplomatic protocol privileges, but these do not allow them to conduct parallel foreign affairs. The minister said the department must find out what informed the diplomat’s presence and the nature of the visit.

He added that official state visits require formal mandates that Zuma does not possess, meaning he cannot represent the South African government. The Democratic Alliance and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation have since demanded strict accountability over the use of these state resources to facilitate meetings with individuals heavily implicated by the Zondo Commission for draining public funds from entities like Eskom and Transnet during the era of state capture.

Lamola Rejects US Pressure on Foreign Policy

Briefly News also reported that Lamola declared that South Africa's foreign relations are driven by national interests, not Washington's influence. Speaking on 25 June 2026, Lamola rejected claims by US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III that engagements with China and Iran undermined Pretoria's non-aligned stance.

Lamola defended Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s Beijing trip and meetings with Iranian officials, noting that Washington also engages these nations. He stated non-alignment does not mean neutrality, asserting South Africa's sovereign right to cultivate global bilateral ties. Lamola maintained that Pretoria remains independent and committed to global stability and inclusive dialogue.

Source: Briefly News