AfriForum welcomes the arrest of the Gupta brothers Atul and Rajesh on Monday in Dubai. This arrest is a step in the direction of justice, but there is still a long way to go and AfriForum has some demands that will help justice prevail.
South Africa and the United Arab Emirates signed an extradition agreement in April 2021, but it is not yet clear whether the arrest will lead to the brothers’ return to South Africa. AfriForum therefore demands that the Gupta brothers get their day in court in South Africa and that a proper investigation be conducted into the ties between the Guptas and South African politicians. The Guptas can also not be allowed to slip away in a dubious way, so the situation must be closely monitored.
“The country has been paralyzed for years by unprecedented levels of corruption and millions have become discouraged with the lack of culprits that face the consequences for their long fingers,” says Ernst van Zyl, Campaign Officer for Strategy and Content at AfriForum.
“The longer corruption continues unabated in South Africa, the more the population loses confidence that the government is at all capable of fighting corruption. The arrest of the Guptas should be a starting point and not an end point. In addition, the serious recent allegations against President Cyril Ramaphosa must also be properly investigated. There can be a focus on more than one high-profile corruption case at a time. It is about time that corruption is tackled, regardless of the profile, political faction or position of the accused.”
