E-mails reveal who else visited Guptas
Besides cabinet ministers, a number of MECs and premiers also met with Tony Gupta
The e-mails reveal that not only ministers visited the Gupta family home, but also influential provincial government officials as well as those serving on several boards of state-owned entities.
The main person that they met was Rajesh “Tony” Gupta. Here is the list:
Peter Thabethe – 3.30pm; November 2 2012 and 3pm; January 31 2013 and 4pm; February 1 2013 and 3pm; February 9 2013 and 9am; March 15 2013 and 9am; and April 6 2013.
He was head of the agriculture and rural development department in the Free State.
Mosebenzi Zwane visited at 5pm, January 5 2013; 4pm, February 1 2013; 4pm, March 15 2013; 5pm, April 6 2013; and 1pm, August 27 2013.
At the time of these meetings, Zwane was the MEC for agriculture and rural development in the Free State.
He attended at least two of these meetings with Thabethe. At the time there were several exposes published in the Mail & Guardian over the Estina Dairy project worth nearly R570-million that a National Treasury investigation found was riddled with irregularities.
Zwane, through his spokesperson, referred Sowetan to a post-Cabinet statement urging all implicated to cooperate with law enforcement agencies investigating the e-mails.
Premier Supra Mahumapelo visited at 4pm, January 16 2013.
Mahumapelo’s spokesman Brian Setswambung did not deny the premier met with the Gupta family, but said he had on countless occasions emphasised the importance of government having to work with “all companies investing in the province”.
Elzabe Rockman was MEC of treasury in the Free State government and visited at
I told them Vodacom had governance policies and procedures ...
12.30pm, April 6 2013 and 10am, April 22 2013.
She was appointed MEC in March 2013, less than a month before her meeting with Tony Gupta.
Rajesh Naithani who was appointed to the board of SAA in September 2012 visited the Gupta compound at 5pm, October 12 2012; 4pm, December 8 2012; and 3.30pm, February 9 2013.
It was alleged he fed the Gupta family information from SAA board meetings.
Tau Mahumapelo who was appointed to the Denel board in July 2015 visited at 4pm, January 28 2013; 10am, March 15 2013; and 8.30am, June 27 2013. He is Supra’s brother. Thami ka Plaatjie visited at 2pm, November 13 2012; 4pm, February 22 2013; and 11am, April 20 2013.
Plaatjie was appointed deputy chairman of the SABC board in January by President Jacob Zuma.
At the time Ben Ngubane was chairman.
Ka Plaatjie resigned from the board in March 2013 together with Ngubane.
Ka Plaatjie currently serves as an adviser to Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
Romeo Kumalo visited at 5pm, February 21 2013 and 5pm, September 26 2012
Former Eskom board member Kumalo was at the time the executive commercial director of Vodacom.
Kumalo said the Guptas lobbied him to get advertising in the Gupta-owned New Age newspaper.
“I told them Vodacom had governance policies and procedures on placing advertising and they would have to follow the correct channels,” Kumalo said.
“They never did, and Vodacom never placed any advertising at the time in New Age.”
Premier Ace Magashule visited at 4pm, October 2 2012.
Magashule, through his spokesperson, declined to comment on the e-mails until the Hawks had finalised their investigations.
At the time of going to print Thabethe, Rockman, Tau Mahumapelo and ka Plaatjie had not responded to questions.