STATE CAPTURE
How Mosebenzi Zwane leaned on Nedbank's Mike Brown over Gupta accounts
The Nedbank group CEO told the state capture inquiry Zwane put pressure on the bank to keep the Gupta accounts open
The testimony by witnesses from SA’s major banks has pointed to former mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane as the key player fighting against a decision to close the Gupta family’s bank accounts. Nedbank group CEO Mike Brown told the state capture inquiry on Wednesday that he had met with Zwane after a request from the interministerial committee, which was set up by cabinet in 2016 to engage the banks after the closure of Gupta-linked bank accounts. The Guptas, former president Jacob Zuma and his son Duduzane are at the centre of the state capture web. Brown said Zwane had directly appealed to the bank to “step in and save jobs” by reopening the closed company accounts, stressing that family members had stepped down from these companies. Like Standard Bank’s Ian Sinton, Brown also testified that Zwane had made a seemingly veiled threat about the banks being dependent on government for the banking licences they need to operate. FNB and Absa declined to meet with the committee....
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