Vavi reveals Zuma aid for Duduzane, Gupta

FORMER union boss Zwelinzima Vavi has spilt the beans on how President Jacob Zuma orchestrated a secret “business meeting” between his son Duduzane, a Gupta brother and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea.

Vavi was part of a delegation, which included Zuma and SACP leader Blade Nzimande, that was invited by the West African dictator to attend Equatorial Guinea’s Independence Day celebrations on October 12 2008.

The former Cosatu general secretary believes the meeting was held “to discuss private business interests” and regards the incident as the beginning of state capture in South Africa by the Guptas.

Vavi said he would report the incident to public protector Thuli Madonsela.

The trade unionist said he and Nzimande thought the main purpose of the trip was to use the time together to discuss the future of South Africa with Zuma.

Zuma, who became ANC leader in 2007, was about to become president and the alliance leaders expected to discuss the composition of a new cabinet and government.

Instead, Vavi and Nzimande were kept waiting by Zuma for days and were surprised at the arrival of Rajesh Gupta and Duduzane, who were immediately whisked to a secret meeting with Obiang “to discuss business deals”.

This week Vavi told the Sunday Times he was “absolutely incensed — both me and Blade”.

“The president brings us all the way here only to find ourselves tweaking our fingers for four days without a discussion. Yet these guys who arrive on the fourth day are prioritised.”

Vavi said he was particularly perturbed to learn that the pair had just arrived from Angola and the Central African Republic, where they said they had been “doing business”.

“The daughter of [Angolan president José Eduardo] Dos Santos is one of the richest women on the continent, not because of her business astuteness [but] because of her proximity to her father.”

Duduzane and Gupta were taken “straight into the place where [Zuma] and the president of Equatorial Guinea were meeting”, he said.

They “locked themselves into this room for hours”. Afterwards the delegation flew back to South Africa.

“That meeting seems to be confirming what everybody is now talking about, the complete capture of the ANC,” said Vavi.

[Vavi] regards the incident as the beginning of state capture in SA by the Guptas

“I don’t trust the ANC when it comes to investigating itself or the president. I think it is a serious conflict of interest, more so when [Social Development Minister] Bathabile Dlamini plays this card about all of us having smallanyana [little] skeletons . . .

“I think that statement is very telling — she’s blackmailing people into silence.”

Zuma’s spokesman, Bongani Majola, referred queries about the trip to the Department of International Relations and Co-operation.

But Dirco spokesman Nelson Kgwete said he could not comment because Zuma had not been on state business at the time. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Majola did not respond to subsequent messages left over several days.

Messages requesting comment and left over

several days with Duduzane and the Guptas remained unanswered.

Nzimande said he remembered the trip well. “I was invited by the president of the ANC, Jacob Zuma . . . as general secretary of the SACP, for Equatorial Guinea’s independence celebrations.”

However, he declined to be drawn on Duduzane’s arrival with Gupta or the meeting with Zuma and Obiang.

“I am not in a position to talk about [the] travels of ... Duduzane,” said Nzimande, adding that he had “never seen or witnessed a meeting between President Zuma, Nguema, Duduzane and Gupta”.

Through their company Mabengela Investments, Rajesh Gupta and Duduzane are involved in significant Gupta deals that are likely to yield lucrative state contracts.

Mabengela holds stakes in Shiva Uranium, a mine that would supply the state’s nuclear programme, and Infinity Media, which is vying for a free-to-air TV licence from the state. It also has a stake in the Gupta-controlled Tegeta Exploration, which recently bought Glencore’s Optimum mine, which supplies coal to Eskom.

The SACP has called on Zuma to cut ties with the Guptas.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said this week that the party would probe whether Zuma and his family’s relationship with the Guptas constituted state capture.

The Hawks are also investigating a corruption complaint against Duduzane and the Guptas filed by the DA.