Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 03-11-2016
While former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s long-awaited state capture report includes mindboggling allegations, questions have been raised about the relationship between a number of top officials and the Gupta family including Eskom CEO Brian Molefe.
The report was released yesterday after numerous court challenges.
One of the key aspects of the report centres on analysing when phone calls were made between top officials and the Gupta family.
The report looks into the relationship between Molefe and the Guptas including phone calls being made and visits to the Guptas Saxonwold home.
It notes the number of calls between Molefe and the family were investigated between the 2nd of August last year and the 22 of March this year.
It’s been found that Molefe called AJ Gupta 44 times and Gupta called him 14 times.
It was also found on the 5th of August to the 17th of November last year Molefe can be placed in Saxonwold on 19 occasions.
Molefe is not alone in being cited with the report saying Des van Rooyen who replaced Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister can be placed in Saxonwold on at least 7 occasions including on the day before he was announced as minister.
The report also found that Ajay Gupta, one of three Gupta brothers, offered Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas 600 million rand to take up the position of finance minister, Jonas said in his interview with Madonsela. Gupta said if he had a bag with him, he could get 600,000 in cash immediately, Jonas said.
Jonas told Madonsela that Zuma’s son, Duduzane, invited him to a meeting in October last year and they then traveled together in Duduzane’s vehicle to the Gupta family residence, which Jonas had never visited before.
At the house, Gupta told Jonas he could be made finance minister and while the family has made a lot of money from the state, the Treasury was a stumbling block for their business ambitions and that Jonas would have to remove the Treasury’s director general Lungisa Fuzile and other members of the executive management.
Jonas rejected the offer and later went public with a statement.
The state capture report was completed just days before Madonsela’s seven-year term came to an end and she was replaced by Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who didn’t oppose the court bid to halt the report’s release.
Zuma and the Guptas have denied wrongdoing.
The ANC says it’s going to give its full response on the report on state capture today.
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