In a move that has reignited public fury over a decade-old corruption scandal, former President Jacob Zuma met with Ajay Gupta, one of the Indian businessmen at the center of the controversy. The meeting, which occurred in India, was exposed by local media this week and has been denounced as a "middle finger" to South Africans by cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. In the early 2010s, the Gupta brothers were accused of exploiting their close ties with Zuma for personal gain and influencing national policy. Both parties have consistently denied wrongdoing, but the family left South Africa in 2018 following a judicial commission investigation into massive fraud, known as "state capture." In 2019, South African authorities cancelled Ajay Gupta's arrest warrant, while his younger brothers, Atul and Rajesh, have evaded extradition from the United Arab Emirates. Zuma, a long-standing member of the African National Congress (ANC), was ousted in 2018 due to corruption allegations involving the Guptas. He has consistently maintained his innocence. A commission investigating state capture concluded in 2022 that Zuma had manipulated ministerial appointments for the benefit of the Gupta family, including the dismissal of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and the appointment of two subsequent ministers who were sympathetic to their interests. The commission also detailed a corrupt network at state electricity utility Eskom, with key executives being placed by the Guptas. Zuma's recent meeting with Ajay Gupta has sparked renewed calls for accountability, with Ntshavheni condemning his actions and South Africa's high commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, for accompanying him to the meeting. The South African government has announced an investigation into the matter, amid accusations that Zuma is pursuing a parallel foreign policy. Zuma's political party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), received about 15% of the vote in the 2024 elections that saw the ANC lose its majority for the first time since the democratic era began in 1994 with Nelson Mandela as president. For more news from the African continent, visit BBCAfrica.com, follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, or find us on Facebook at BBC Africa and Instagram at bbcafrica.