南非外交部长罗纳德·拉莫拉提议对前国家领导人的海外访问制定新规则和透明度要求[1]。该建议源于前总统祖马上月访问印度期间与商人艾吉·古普塔的会面风波[1]。根据新规则，前领导人在出访前必须提供完整详情，供政府评估所需支持水平以及相关声誉、政治、外交或安全风险[1]。
84岁的祖马现为反对党乌姆霍托韦·西泽姆的领导人[1]。艾吉·古普塔是古普塔兄弟之一，该家族因"国家捕获"大规模欺诈案被指控，并于2018年逃离南非[1]。2022年司法委员会的调查结论认为祖马按古普塔家族的指示进行了国家经济运营中心官员的招聘和解除[1]。祖马印度行中与古普塔的会面引起南非政界强烈反弹[1]，参与该访问的南非驻印度高级专员阿尼尔·苏克拉尔其后被召回[1]。
古普塔的两个弟弟阿图尔和拉杰什目前在阿联酋，2023年阿联酋法院驳回了南非的引渡请求[1]。
South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has proposed establishing new regulations and enhanced transparency requirements for former national leaders' overseas visits [1]. The proposal follows controversy surrounding former President Jacob Zuma's recent trip to India, during which he met with Aji Gupta, a businessman linked to a major corruption scandal [1].
Under the proposed rules, former leaders would be required to "provide full details" to enable "an informed assessment of the support level required and any associated reputational, political, diplomatic or security risks" [1]. The regulations aim to prevent situations like Zuma's encounter with Gupta, one of the Gupta brothers who were accused of orchestrating large-scale state capture fraud and fled South Africa in 2018 [1]. A judicial committee investigation concluded in 2022 that Zuma had hired and fired officials in the state-owned National Development Agency on the instructions of the Gupta family [1].
Two of the other Gupta brothers, Atul and Rajesh, remain in the United Arab Emirates, where a court rejected South Africa's extradition request in 2023 [1]. Zuma, an 84-year-old political figure who now leads the opposition MK party, was photographed meeting with Aji Gupta during his India visit, prompting significant backlash in South African political circles [1]. South Africa's High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, who also appeared in photographs from the meeting, was subsequently recalled [1].