Zuma had Guptas’ backs — Maseko
Former government spokesperson tells state capture inquiry the former president ensured that ministers did the family’s bidding
Cabinet ministers who refused to do the Guptas’ bidding were dealt with by former president Jacob Zuma, the state capture inquiry heard on Thursday. Former government spokesperson and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) CEO Themba Maseko told the commission Ajay Gupta had warned him that if ministers did not co-operate with the family, Zuma would sort them out and they would be summoned to Saxonwold. Maseko said Gupta boasted about the frequency of family meetings with Zuma, who apparently went to their house for dinner once a week. A study by the SA Institute of Race Relations (IRR), published in August 2017, found that Zuma had reshuffled his cabinet 10 times since taking office in May 2009. Directors-general on average kept their jobs for only 22 months. High-profile dismissals included the late-night firing of the finance minister, Nhlanhla Nene, in December 2015, which rattled markets and mobilised a major pushback from the private sector, civil society and s...
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