The two bombshell stories of the week, the alleged theft of millions of US dollars from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm and the arrest of Atul and Rajesh Gupta in Dubai, continue to dominate the opinions pages on Wednesday.
There is still much concern over whether the Gupta brothers will be extradited from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa after they were arrested on Monday. SA will have to jump through many diplomatic hoops to get the alleged architects of State Capture back into the country.
Sunday Times Daily writes it could take months for the national prosecuting authority to put in the work of convincing the authorities in the UAE that the case against the Guptas is strong enough that they would be able to get a conviction if the pair were to stand trial. The publication has also outlined South Africa’s remarkably poor record in previous extradition cases with many suspects still not repatriated to SA. Read more here. (for subscribers)
The Citizen agrees that the arrest in Dubai sends a loud and clear message but the case against the Guptas will have to be watertight with no missteps to speak of so that South Africans can truly be put at ease knowing the perpetrators of years of looting will finally pay for their sins. Read more here.
Omphemetse S Sibanda writes that it is a long and complicated legal process that will require extensive cooperation between South Africa and the UAE. Sibanda breaks down what the next steps will be in getting the Gupta brother repatriated to South Africa and how an extradition case works in the UAE. Read more here.
In case you had forgotten who the Guptas are, News24 has compiled a helpful explainer via the AFP, which includes the ins and outs of the Gupta family. The explainer details the family’s arrival in SA back in 1993, their business interests, close ties to former president Jacob Zuma and his family, which started way before Zuma became president, and their subsequent exit from South Africa in 2018 when Zuma exited power and the authorities started to crank up the heat on the family. Read more here.
Here’s a round-up of what else we’re reading:
Melanie Verwoerd | I hope this is not a case of “et tu, Ramaphosa” – News24 (for subscribers)
JUSTICE MALALA: What lurks behind the Fraser complaint – Financial Mail (for subscribers)
JABULANI SIKHAKHANE: Has Ramaphosa breached the constitution with his business interests? – Business Day (for subscribers)
Ramaphosa and Guptas: change is coming, for the better – The Citizen (for subscribers)
EUSEBIUS MCKAISER | Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa — time is running out – Sunday Times Daily (for subscribers)
EDITORIAL: SA’s economic pick-up is no cause for complacency – Business Day
Image Credit: GCIS
