Payback time for Guptas’ tentacles of corruption a must

If anyone had any doubts about the extent to which the Gupta family’s tentacles had enveloped the top echelons of government during the Zuma era, the revelations of the past week should have gone far to put these to rest. The state capture inquiry, headed by Justice Raymond Zondo, heard from ex-MP Vytjie Mentor and government’s former head of communication Themba Maseko just how extensively ex-president Jacob Zuma’s friends, the Guptas, ran the show, all with Zuma’s acquiescence.

Our sister title, the Sunday Times, on Sunday reported that the country’s former intelligence heads – Gibson Njenje, Moe Shaik and Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka – had years ago established Zuma’s relationship with the Guptas, notably their interference in state affairs which, undermined our country’s national security.

The South African spy chiefs reportedly were particularly alarmed at the Guptas’ interference in the 2010 cabinet reshuffle.

They discovered that the Guptas had been in charge of arrangements during Zuma’s state visits and members of the family on occasion even enjoyed a VIP escort by police..

The Sunday Times also reported that former communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda had been fired for not wanting to meet the Guptas.

So there we have it: the cabinet – those politicians paid large amounts with our taxes to lead the country – were reportedly being hired and fired in midnight reshuffles at the behest, or at the very least in the interests of a rich family which befriended our president and hired his son.

And one can only assume these handpicked ministers took decisions on the say-so of the Guptas in their interests and to hell with the interests of the country.

Of course not everybody in the cabinet was a Gupta nominee. We are yet to hear what the rest of Zuma’s over-inflated cabinet said, never mind did, about this betrayal of the oath of office ministers take, not to mention the lofty ideals of our constitution.

It is welcome that the tawdry goings on of the Zuma government and the extent to which the South African state was captured are being exposed, but it must not stop there. Those who corrupted and those who were corrupted must be forced to pay the consequences.

The South African spy chiefs were particularly alarmed at the Guptas’ interference in the 2010 cabinet reshuffle