Politician and businessman Tokyo Sexwale has written an open letter to Ajay Gupta‚ warning that "South Africans love their country" and "will resist" any attempt at state capture.
In a letter‚ that can be read in full at the Daily Maverick‚ Sexwale compared the situation around the Gupta name‚ and its links to president Jacob Zuma to "a political hurricane steadily sweeping around the land".
"Critics have even joined the two names and coined 'Zupta'‚ symbolising‚ as they say‚ greed and corruption described as state capture‚" wrote Sexwale.
While Sexwale denied that the Gupta family had captured Parliament or the judiciary‚ he said that the allegations of undue influence‚ real or perceived‚ over ministers and officials needed to be investigated by the Public Protector.
"Your assistance is important. Meanwhile‚ the jury remains out‚" wrote Sexwale‚ warning that damage had been done to the Gupta name.
"You as a leader of your entities need to take certain steps‚ to ensure that none of your siblings or partners may have done anything that may translate into state capture‚" Sexwale said.
While he said that business should lobby government and vice versa‚ it should not cross the red line into undue influence where one business gets an unfair advantage.
He further wrote that there is a silver lining in the whole affair‚ in that it shines a light on undue influence by business leaders‚ which has been around for a while.
"It was common knowledge in the past for private individuals to have 'the ear of a president'‚ premiers or ministers. This was regarding access‚ tenders‚ re-shuffles‚ appointment of government or parastatal officials‚ ambassadors and so on. Such individuals - often mere nobodies - were feared. But behind their backs‚ they are resented and people can’t wait for them to fall after their fortunes change‚" Sexwale wrote.
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