It’s as if the citizens of South Africa are in the middle of a massive game show. We are watching the media with bated breath, waiting to see how long the Guptas will retain their power over our country’s political sphere, and just how and if they will be removed. With allegations being thrown around about the games the family is playing with high-ranking political figures, people are wondering if their time has finally come to an end.
A whole range of people are having their say on the situation and while some are highly critical, there are still those that support the Zuma/Gupta Zupta relationship – like Zuma’s son, obviously:
Acclaimed writer and academic Njabulo Ndebele:
They want nothing less than a country in their pockets … A private house in Saxonwold has in effect become the Union Buildings; its occupants landed their private jet at an air force base as if they were heads of state‚ in the process dealing a heavy blow to the credibility of the defence force.
SA Council of Churches leaders
We call on the ANC to take decisive steps to free the state from the evident clutches of the Gupta business interests.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane
Zuma is controlled by the Guptas. Once you have a weak institution like the ANC and a government that is institutionally captured‚ you only have to win control over a few individuals like Jacob Zuma and you control everything.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe
They would not have any influence on the ANC. They would have relations with individuals … That does not give them influence over the ANC.
Duduzane Zuma‚ son of President Jacob Zuma
The Guptas continued their work relationship with me despite not knowing what the future held for my family.
Zwelinzima Vavi
The Guptas are continuously buying helicopter after helicopter. They want special permission to land on their homes. We’re up to here with our corruption.
Kalim Rajab
Few [Indian industrialists] would have heard of the Gupta family or thought of them as major players. Before arriving in South Africa‚ they had been a middleweight family in the power stakes on the [Indian] subcontinent … Rumours‚ never proven [but then few such things ever are in Indian courts] swirled around of them providing money-laundering facilities in Dubai.
An insider close to the Indian diplomatic community
It’s an open secret in the Indian expat community that a visiting Indian minister doesn’t get debriefed by the Indian high commissioner as is protocol. Instead they head straight to Saxonwold to get debriefed. The Guptas have become the de facto Indian diplomatic force in the country.
Kenny Kunene‚ in an open letter to Jacob Zuma
The extent of how much the Gupta family controls you‚ and by implication this country‚ has not even begun to be understood.
Koki Khojane‚ a Sun City employee‚ speaking after the Guptas landed a plane at Waterkloof air force base‚ and held a wedding at Sun City
[A] Gupta security [officer] told waiters … [to use towels‚ toothbrushes and toothpaste before they served guests].
Excerpt from the affidavit of Lieutenant Colonel Christine Anderson‚ one of five members of the South African National Defence Force who have been charged before a military court in connection with the landing of a private aircraft at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in April
On or about 17 April 2013‚ Mr [Bruce] Koloane phoned me and he informed me that he had returned from the president and that the president wanted to know ‘if everything is still on track for the flight’.
Minister Jeff Radebe at a press briefing on a report detailing the ministerial investigation into the 30 April Waterkloof landing
It was not a name that was dropped‚ but names. The defence minister’s name [Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula]‚ the transport minister’s name [Ben Martins] and the president’s name were all used.
Rajesh Sundaram‚ former ANN7 consulting editor.
Mr [Atul] Gupta sits on the mezzanine level. There is a glass wall there and he stares into the newsroom‚ looking at how many minutes any person has spent in the toilets or the cafeteria. There is a constant scrutiny. One time [Atul] went into the gallery because the news bulletin had been delayed by two minutes‚ shouting: ‘You monkeys! F*****g get out of here‚ pack your bags and go back to India!’
[source: timeslive]
