Between 2009 and 2018, the Gupta brothers — Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh — leveraged their relationship with President Jacob Zuma to capture key state institutions. Evidence presented to the Zondo Commission showed that the Guptas influenced the appointment of Cabinet ministers (including offering Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas the position of Finance Minister), directed procurement at SOEs including Eskom, Transnet, Denel, and SAA, and used their media properties (The New Age, ANN7) as propaganda tools. The total cost to the South African fiscus is estimated to exceed R500 billion when accounting for institutional damage, SOE debt, and economic impact. The Guptas fled to Dubai in 2018 and were arrested in June 2022. Extradition proceedings continue.
Key episodes documented separately in this database include: the Estina/Vrede dairy farm fraud (R220M diverted from a Free State agricultural project); the Waterkloof Air Base landing (Gupta wedding guests landed at a military base using diplomatic channels); the Eskom-Gupta Brakfontein coal contract (R3.7B declared unlawful); the Tegeta/Optimum Coal Mine acquisition (R2.34B in Eskom prepayments used to finance the Gupta purchase); the capture of the Department of Mineral Resources under Mosebenzi Zwane; Lynne Brown's appointment of Gupta-linked boards across Eskom, Transnet, and Denel; and the Gupta media propaganda network (TNA/ANN7). The Saxonwold compound became synonymous with extrajudicial cabinet appointments, most notably the offer of the Finance Ministry to then-Deputy Minister Mcebisi Jonas.