Jonas tells inquiry Guptas threatened to kill him

Members of the Gupta family offered South African former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas R600 million ($42 million) to take the top ministry post and threatened to kill him if he spoke of the offer, Jonas told a judicial inquiry.

Jonas was instructed to fire National Treasury officials who were a “stumbling block” to the family’s business interests during the meeting in October 2015, he said at a hearing in Johannesburg on Friday. Jonas refused the bribe but Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene was later fired, Jonas said.

The Guptas are friends of Jacob Zuma, who was president of the country until February, and have been accused of using that relationship to influence government decisions and win state contracts. Nene was replaced by little-known lawmaker Des van Rooyen in a late night announcement by Zuma less than two months after Jonas met with the Guptas. The Guptas and Zuma have denied wrongdoing.

“At the end of the meeting, Mr Gupta repeated that they had information on me and if I suggested that the meeting had occurred, they would kill me,” Jonas testified during the third day of the inquiry.

The meeting was organised by Duduzane Zuma, the former president’s son who was a business partner of the Guptas, Jonas said.

Source: moneyweb.co.za