EFF calls on the Minister of Finance to invalidate the R10 billion Denel tender given to the Guptas

18 April 2016

The Economic Freedom Fighters notes that DENEL, the South African State Owned arms manufacturer has issued a steel cutting Tender of R10 billion to a 24 year old son of Atul Gupta, the business partner and financier or Mr. Jacob Zuma and his family (see City Press report).

It is evident that the Tender issued to the Gupta family and the resignations that happened from DENEL are part of the State capture and the largely corrupt relationship the Guptas have with the president of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Jacob Zuma. Many South African youth are denied access to real economic opportunities, yet the children of Zuma and Guptas are already exposed to contracts worth billions of Rands. The highest amount given to few South African young entrepreneurs by the dysfunctional NYDA is R100 000, yet Zuma and Gupta children gain access to state contracts worth billions. This proves what the Commander in Chief of Economic Freedom Fighters said in 2011, that this democracy has been turned into a democracy for the enrichment of families.

The EFF has written letters to the ministers of finance and public enterprises to demand the invalidation of the Gupta contracts with DENEL, because they are based on a corrupt relationship. The reality is that despite leaving South Africa, the Gupta family has left a huge network of corruptly acquired state contracts and tenders, which they got through the president of the republic.

The Zupta phenomenon (Gupta + Zuma corrupt and parasitic capitalist relationship that uses political influence to milk the state of resources that would benefit the people) has not yet fallen and it must be brought down. All South Africans must unite behind bringing down the Zupta phenomenon because it will set a wrong precedent for future leaders of this country, who will equate occupation of political power with self and family enrichment.

We demand that the minsters of finance and public enterprises attend immediately to the Gupta R10 billion, and audit all the contracts and tenders that were given to the Gupta family to assess if they were legally issued. The EFF will never stop the fight against Zuptas and will do everything to ensure that #ZuptasMustFall. Our fight against Zuptas is however not a substitution of the war against white monopoly capital. The strategic enemy in the war for total economic emancipation is white monopoly capital, but this does not mean that we will turn a blind eye on corruption and state capture that defines South Africa today.

Issued by Economic Freedom Fighters, 18 April 2016