Home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba had a torrid time on social media at the weekend.

In a bid to bury allegations of his proximity to the Gupta family, Gigaba took to Twitter on Saturday and requested users to ask him questions pertaining to the allegations.

The minister set aside an hour and promised to address "every direct allegation", but said he would ignore speculation and insults.

Users immediately jumped at the opportunity and fired questions, quizzing him about the closure of the SA-India route for national carrier SAA, whether he would appear before the commission of inquiry into state capture chaired by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, and whether the minister had introduced his former lover Buhle Mkhize to the Guptas.

Quizzed on his relationship with the Guptas, Gigaba gave short answers, denying everything. One user asked whether he was "ever a Gupta stooge" and, if not, "why do you think this perception has enjoyed such traction for all these years"? Gigaba responded: "No. I am as curious as you to find out the answer to your second question."

Asked if he would testify at the commission, he said he would do so, noting he doubted he would be called.

He even went a step further and promised that the story of how he became finance minister, under the leadership of former president Jacob Zuma, would be told in full one day.

Users noted that for most of the questions he would say it was either before his tenure or after his tenure as a minister.