The most startling allegation in the 355-page report by South Africa’s former anti-corruption chief Thuli Madonsela is testimony from Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas that businessman Ajay Gupta offered him 600m rand ($44.6m; £36.2m) last year, “to be deposited in an account of his choice”, if he accepted the post of finance minister:
Mr Jonas was walking towards the door, Mr A Gupta made a further offer of R600 million to be deposited in an account of his choice. He asked if Mr Jonas had a bag which he could use to receive and carry R600,000 in cash immediately, which he declined.”
Mr Zuma’s son Duduzane was allegedly there when this offer was made.
Mr Jonas was expected to remove key Treasury officials from their posts and advance the Gupta family’s “business ambitions”, he is quoted as saying.
The businessman has not yet commented on the report, but has previously denied any wrongdoing.
The report also contains allegations that:
Ajay Gupta boasted that as a family they had “made a lot of money from the state”, putting the figure at 6bn rand, according to Mr Jonas
Mr Zuma told former government media chief Themba Maseko that the “Gupta brothers need your help, please help them”
Mr Gupta asked Mr Maseko to channel advertising to a newspaper the family was setting up
Former MP Vytjie Mentor was offered the Public Enterprise minister’s post by the Guptas; she rejected it
The board of power utility Eskom appeared to have been improperly constituted
It made payment of nearly one billion rand to a firm linked to the Guptas and the president’s son
The payments may amount to “wasteful expenditure”
Eskom boss Brian Molefe and Mr Gupta made 58 telephone calls to one another between August 2015 and March 2016. BBC
