London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

S Africa: Opposition calls for prosecution of Guptas after arrest

S Africa: Opposition calls for prosecution of Guptas after arrest

SA politicians have been reacting to the arrest of the Guptas, who are enmeshed in a longrunning corruption scandal.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s leading opposition party, has welcomed the arrest of the controversial Gupta brothers by police in the United Arab Emirates and called for their prosecution.

Atul and Rajesh Gupta, two of the leading members of the Gupta family, were arrested in Dubai on Tuesday.

They fled there in April 2016, shortly after investigations into their role in using their affiliation with former president Jacob Zuma, to influence contracts and appointments, intensified.

Zuma, who was president from 2009 to 2018, is on trial for misappropriation of state funds during his tenure in collusion with the brothers, among others. He and the Guptas have denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement on Tuesday, the DA called for more arrests in connection with the theft of state funds, “We hope that this is indeed the beginning of arrests and prosecution of those who have – locally and abroad – looted our country for years and are directly responsible for the hardships that millions of South Africans face today.”

The Dubai Police said that it received a “red notice” alert from Interpol following efforts by the South African Department of Justice and Correctional Services to arrest the brothers who are “among South Africa’s most wanted suspects, in connection with money laundering and criminal charges in South Africa”.

The charges relate to a $1.6m government contract awarded to a Gupta-owned company, Islandsite, through an investment firm owned by a Gupta affiliate Iqbal Sharma, by the Department of Agriculture in the Free State province, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Vuyo Zungula, leader of the smaller opposition party African Transformation Movement (ATM), also commented, saying, “The law must run its course, and we hope that the nation will be kept abreast of all developments until the finalisation of the court processes.”

The governing African National Congress (ANC) also released a statement on Tuesday urging the authorities in South Africa and the UAE “to expedite the extradition of Messrs Gupta to South Africa so that the charges against them can be adjudicated by a court of law.”

But other politicians seem to be wary of the latest developments.

Julus Malema, the outspoken leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said the story might be “a diversion to take away attention from President Cyril Ramaphosa”, who has also been at the receiving end of serious accusations of corruption recently.

“Show me a picture of the Guptas in prison,” he told the media during a news conference on Tuesday, “There is a huge possibility that this story is being used as a diversion.”

A commission was set up to investigate corruption by top government officials and Zuma associates, especially the Guptas, throughout his presidency.

Hundreds of witnesses testified before the commission which cost $65m in its three years of operation. The first part of the “state capture report” was delivered in January 2022. According to the report, the Guptas allegedly funnelled millions through government contracts into their own companies.

The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services said, “Discussions between various law enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa on the way forward are ongoing. The South African government will continue to co-operate with the UAE.”

Chrispin Phiri, a spokesperson for the ministry declined to comment on the next stages in the extradition of the Gupta brothers or the kind of transparency the public will be granted.

“We will not make any additional comments; we can only confirm arrests at this time,” he told Al Jazeera.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×