Having failed to persuade the President  that he should keep his job, Gigaba quit on the eve of Cyril  Ramaphosa’s trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg and South Africa- European Union summit in Brussels.

Just last week, Malusi Gigaba vowed he would not step down.

He did not give reasons for his resignation in his letter yesterday (Tuesday) to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

It follows a report by the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane that Gigaba violated the executive ethics code by lying under oath about dealings with the Anglo American Corporation and circulation of an embarrassing sex tape he said he made for his wife.

Gigaba was also heavily criticized for granting citizenship to members of the wealthy Indian family the Guptas accused of corrupt dealings with former President Jacob Zuma.

Opposition politicians said Gigaba had done the honorable thing by falling on his sword.

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane  said Gigaba had done profound damage to state owned enterprises and to South Africa’s tourism industry.

He had done enormous harm to the economy and demonstrated that he could not be trusted.

Transport Minister Blade Nzimande has been asked to step in as Home Affairs Minister until a permanent appointment is made.

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The EU summit in Brussels agreed that secure centres for migrants may be set up in European states to process asylum claims.

The agreement on controlled centres that will be set up by European state on a voluntary basis is designed to satisfy Italy’s new rightwing government and conservative elements keeping  German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government in power.

But it falls way short of addressing the core problem of exactly who should take in the migrants.

Their numbers have reduced dramatically to about 80 000 a year.

But the latest drownings show yet again what an emotive issue this remains. 

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Yesterday’s  mini EU summit in Brussels on the issue has shown the extent of divisions within the 28-nation grouping over migration.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says he’s happy with the emergency meeting in Brussels where he presented proposals on re-writing the rules on migration into Europe

He’s rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that with the number of  migrants down 80% from the peak in 2015, there is no longer a crisis.

And he’s brushed off German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to get smaller bilateral and trilateral agreements within the EU grouping on dealing with migration until the issue of first arrival is addressed – taking the pressure off Italy, Spain and Greece.  

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Chairman of the EU summit Donald Tusk says mandatory quotas in ineffective and highly divisive.

The European Union is committed to reach a deal on accepting migrants by June.

Poland and neighbors Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are refusing to accept asylum seekers.

They say they cannot accommodate  large numbers of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

In any event, the migrants are more keen to settle in Western European countries.

Tusk, who’s a former Polish prime minister, has his work cut out driving a deal that will ease the pressure on Italy, Spain and other Mediterranean countries inundated with migrants.

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