‘Accountability cannot be selective’: ActionSA slams decision not to sanction India envoy Anil Sooklal

ActionSA has criticised the government’s decision not to sanction South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, after photographs emerged showing him alongside former president Jacob Zuma and Ajay Gupta. ActionSA has condemned the government’s decision not to sanction South Africa’s High Commissioner to India,Professor Anil Sooklal, saying it sends the wrong message about the Government of National Unity’s commitment to tackling the legacy ofState Capture. The criticism follows theDepartment of International Relations and Cooperation’s decision not to take disciplinary action against Sooklal after photographs emerged showing him alongside former president Jacob Zuma and fugitive Ajay Gupta during a visit to a temple in Haridwar, India.

The incident prompted criticism from Minister in the PresidencyKhumbudzo Ntshavheni, who said Zuma’s actions undermined South Africa’s criminal justice system and foreign policy. DIRCO subsequently launched an internal inquiry into Sooklal’s conduct before deciding not to take disciplinary action against him. ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said the decision undermined public confidence in the government’s willingness to hold senior public officials accountable.

“At a time when South Africans continue to endure the catastrophic economic and institutional consequences of State Capture, any association between senior public officials and individuals at the centre of that project demands thorough scrutiny and decisive action,” he said. Trollip said the Gupta family, together with Zuma, had “orchestrated one of the most extensive corruption networks in South Africa’s democratic history”, adding that public representatives entrusted with advancing South Africa’s interests abroad should be held to the highest ethical standards. “Choosing not to act in these circumstances sends the wrong message and further erodes public confidence in the State’s willingness to confront and eradicate the legacy of State Capture,” he said.

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He further accused theGovernment of National Unityof sending conflicting signals on clean governance. “The Government of National Unity cannot credibly claim to be committed to clean governance while appearing to excuse conduct that raises legitimate questions about the judgement and impartiality of senior diplomats. Accountability cannot be selective, nor can it be influenced by political convenience,” Trollip said. ActionSA has called on Minister Ronald Lamola to publicly explain how the decision was reached.

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