The infamous Gupta mansion in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, where the notorious family used to summon government ministers and politicians, is falling apart.
Atul and Ajay Gupta, who are now fugitives from justice, were key figures in the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, corruption and fraud in the public sector including organs of state.
The commission, chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, heard sensational testimony about how the brothers used to summon ANC politicians and cabinet ministers to the mansion to give them marching orders, allegedly with the blessing of Jacob Zuma, who was then president.
A Sunday World visit to the multi-million rand Sahara Estate in the upmarket Joburg north suburb on Thursday revealed a place in shambles.
“The only thing still standing in good shape here are these walls, but everything inside is falling apart,” a neighbour who asked not to be named remarked.
In 2019, Fikile Mbalula told the commission about one of his visits to the Gupta compound: “Before we could talk – I think that is their culture – before you talk to them, you eat curry.
“So this thing you see in public that people eat curry there, it’s not a joke. It’s true, we ate curry. And then he gave me a good lecture about how most of the things I was eating there, came from their farm.”
This week, another neighbour, who also asked to remain anonymous, expressed frustration about the dilapidated state of the property.
“We complained years ago that the Guptas had erected an illegal structure as part of their compound, but nothing has been done about it, it is still standing.”
The neighbours worry that the current sorry state of the Sahara Estate affects the value of their properties.
Once a week, they said someone comes to sweep the yard and pick up the leaves, “but it isn’t enough”.
A security guard on site who refused to identify himself would also not reveal titbits about the goings-on there.
“We were given strict instructions not to speak to the media.”
Just like their dilapidated mansion, the Guptas’ fortunes seem to be on the wane.
One of the brothers, Ajay Kumar Gupta, is behind bars in Dehradun, India, where he is facing charges of abetment of suicide and extortion after a local businessman, Satinder Sawhney, killed himself by jumping from a high-rise building and implicated him in his suicide note.
Sawhney also implicated Ajay’s brother-in-law, Anil Kumar Gupta, in his suicide note, which Sunday World has seen.
Anil is also behind bars after he and Ajay were arrested last Friday. The other two Gupta brothers, Atul and Rajesh, are fugitives in South Africa.
They are also listed on the Interpol notice as wanted criminals after the National Prosecuting Authority obtained warrants for their arrest following serious allegations of corruption.
The two brothers have reportedly acquired the citizenship of Vanuatu, a small island in the South Pacific, where they are allegedly hiding.
But sources in India claim the two fugitives are from time to time seen between Dehradun and Saharanpur in India.
Chrispin Phiri, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola’s spokesperson, said the department would announce its decision on the Guptas matter.
“Ajay Gupta might not be a fugitive, but he still remains a person of interest to the state,” Phiri said.
An Indian newspaper, Garhwal Post, reported this week that the South African government “may seek the extradition of the Gupta brothers”.
The newspaper reported that “South African agencies have sprung into action after the arrest of the Gupta brothers in Uttarakhand.
The Guptas are still wanted in South Africa for the alleged embezzlement of vast amounts of money. They managed to flee from there and settled here in a huge property located on Nehru Road.”
The Guptas’ lawyer in India, advocate Atul Singh Pundir, confirmed this week that his clients were arrested for abetment of suicide, amongst others and that they are still in custody.
He also confirmed that some people from law enforcement agencies in South Africa had shown interest in the case.
