While South African media scrutinises the reasons as to why the Guptas left South Africa – it started with assumptions and has ended with even more assumptions – Africa Check has looked into what they are saying to determine their real relationship with the country.

After the head of their holding company claimed that the family businesses employs more than 4 500 people in South Africa, Nazeem Howa later stated that the lives of 7 500 employees were at stake.

But how many people do the Gupta family really employ?

The Guptas business interests range across the board, including the following:

Sahara Computers, JIC Mining Services, Shiva uranium mine, Tegeta Resources, The New Agenewspaper, ANN7 television news channel and Clifftop Lodge, a safari lodge located in the Welgevonden private game reserve in the Limpopo province. Also listed under Oakbay Investments is a company called Sahara Systems, distinct from Sahara Computers

Africa Check requested a breakdown of staff numbers for the companies. Howa, however, failed to provide the numbers. So, Africa Check assembled publicly available information and contacted the companies directly to work out just what that number was.

They got an initial figure of between 2,672 and 2,892 people.

However, this excludes employees of The New Age – but how many of them are even from South Africa.

The New Age would need to employ a minimum of 1,628 people to make up the 4 500 employees, which is very unlikely.

So Howa be lying. The Guptas be lying. Again.

[source: ewn]

[sourceimage: bloomberg]