STATE CAPTURE
XOLISA PHILLIP: Shades of Aurora in Gupta mines saga
The events surrounding the Guptas’ coal mines have an uncanny ring of deja vu, reminiscent of the Aurora saga involving Khulubuse Zuma and Zondwa Mandela. Zuma and Mandela used their powerful connections to muscle their way through the door to take control of Pamodzi Gold’s mining assets, Orkney and Grootvlei, in 2009. The two men promised the authorities that they would revive the mines’ fortunes. The rub was that Zuma and Mandela, much like the Guptas in Tegeta Exploration and Resources’s acquisition of Optimum, did not fork out a cent to lay their hands on the Pamodzi mines. The other similarity is that the Pamodzi mines were in liquidation when Zuma and Mandela swooped in. Optimum Holdings was in business rescue when the Guptas’ Tegeta came knocking. The more than 5,000 employees who worked on Pamodzi mines rue the day that Zuma and Mandela gained control of the business. Despite court after court finding against Zuma and Mandela, their former workers remain destitute while the ...
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