South Africa’s High Commission in New Delhi has been formally cleared of wrongdoing over its role in a June prayer meeting that placed High Commissioner Anil Sooklal in the same photographs as former president Jacob Zuma and State Capture suspect Ajay Gupta.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation released its findings on 2 September, concluding that the mission’s involvement “was confined to ceremonial reception and departure arrangements, as well as attendance at a public religious event for which the high commissioner had been independently invited in his official capacity.” The department found that the high commission neither arranged, facilitated, nor participated in any private meetings between Zuma and Gupta.
The sequence of events that led to the controversy began on 19 June 2026, when the Presidency notified Dirco of Zuma’s forthcoming private visit to India and requested protocol and logistical support. Dirco instructed the New Delhi High Commission to provide customary assistance. On arrival, Sooklal and a designated mission official met Zuma in line with established protocol, then provided similar support at his departure. That assistance covered ceremonial lounge arrangements, airport courtesies, liaison with Indian authorities, and travel facilitation.
The prayer meeting itself, held on 26 June at the Siddhpeeth Shri Dakshin Kali Temple in Haridwar, roughly 200 kilometres north of New Delhi, was a separate matter. Sooklal attended following an independent invitation from the event’s organizers, conducted by Swami Kailashanand Giri. He did not travel with Zuma or Gupta and reported no direct interaction with Gupta, who was among approximately 1,000 invited guests. When Indian media published photographs of all three men at the gathering, the images triggered immediate embarrassment for the South African government. Minister Ronald Lamola announced the following month that Sooklal would return to Pretoria for consultations.
Dirco was careful to draw a boundary around what routine assistance actually authorizes. Providing protocol support to former heads of state does not permit them to represent the government or advance official interests. The department also noted that while Gupta is not subject to an extradition request from South Africa, Dirco continues facilitating cooperation between South African law enforcement and Indian authorities on mutual legal assistance requests and ongoing legal processes involving Gupta family members.
What changed after the investigation is the question of who knew what, and when. MP Ryan Smith, the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on international relations, pointed to a “worrying communications divide between the Presidency and Dirco itself.” His argument rests on a specific contradiction: the Presidency had informed Dirco on 19 June of Zuma’s visit and requested protocol support, yet Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni publicly criticized Sooklal in early July for “hobnobbing” with Zuma and Gupta, apparently unaware that her own ministry had authorized the preparations.
Smith also raised a broader operational question, asking whether South African taxpayers should fund diplomatic provision for a former head of state facing contempt of court findings and unresolved allegations of corruption, fraud, and racketeering. The contradictions between Ntshavheni and Lamola, he argued, point to deeper coordination failures between critical government nodes.
Dirco has responded by recommending a new mechanism to assess future engagements for reputational, political, diplomatic, or security risks before they proceed. The framework is intended to prevent a repeat of the Haridwar incident and situations like Zuma’s May visit to Uganda, where he met President Yoweri Museveni to discuss business and investment cooperation between the two countries.
Whether that mechanism will be operational before the next unscheduled visit by a former head of state, and whether the Presidency and Dirco will coordinate its application consistently, remains the practical test ahead.