Pretoria - SOUTH Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has called on Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa to put the country’s borders and airports on high alert to stop the Gupta family from fleeing arrest over state capture charges.
The DA said under-fire President, Jacob Zuma cannot be trusted to ensure the arrest of the Indian-born Gupta family owing to his alleged close links to them.
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Zuma has been accused of allowing members of the Gupta family to wield undue enormous political influence in South Africa, with critics alleging that it has “captured the state” to advance its business interests.
“Following reports that warrants of arrest are being prepared for at least one Gupta brother as well as a high-ranking politician, our borders should be urgently secured to prevent the Guptas from slipping through the net.
“It is unlikely that the Gupta family will sit and wait for their arrest. There is a strong possibility that they will attempt to flee the country, if they have not done so already,” the DA said in a statement.
Brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh (also known as Tony) Gupta relocated to South Africa from India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh in Saharanpur in 1993, just as white minority rule was ending and the country was opening up to the rest of the world.
The Guptas found themselves at the centre of a political storm in 2013 after it emerged that a family plane carrying wedding guests landed at the Waterkloof Air Base near Pretoria. The base is normally reserved for visiting heads of state and diplomatic delegations.
“It is no secret that President Zuma is deeply compromised and implicated in this matter through his well-known relationship with the Guptas – and their joint State Capture efforts.
“When the President is compromised and unable to act in an impartial manner, the Deputy President as second in command ought to take action in the best interests of the country. The Guptas, along with President Zuma, must have their day in court for their role in the capture of the state. We call on South Africans who have information in this regard to come forward and alert the authorities on the whereabouts of the Guptas,” the DA added.
