Ajay Gupta's arrest shot in the arm for President Ramaphosa as South Africa votes
Ajay Gupta, one of three infamous Gupta brothers, by Indian authorities is a shot in the arm for South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the country's President Cyril Ramaphosa in an election season.
ANC is seeking re-election in Wednesday's parliamentary polls and the arrest of Ajay Gupta will enable the current ANC leadership to target former president Jacob Zuma under whose rule the Gupta brothers ran a controversial business empire in South Africa. Zuma is accused of backing the Gupta brothers in lieu of personal favours, including financial emoluments. Zuma has formed a separate entity to fight the elections, eyeing to create a rift within ANC supporters and garner votes. This is a high-stakes election for ANC.
Besides Ajay Gupta, his brother-in-law was also arrested in a suicide abetment case. The other two Gupta brothers are currently in detention in the UAE. South Africa has urged India to furnish details of Ajay Gupta's arrest, ET has learnt. All three have earlier been declared fugitives by South Africa.
The Gupta family, with its roots in Saharanpur, migrated to South Africa in 1993. The prominent members of this family are the three brothers — Ajay, Atul and Rajesh — as well as Atul's nephews Varun and US-based Ashish and Amol. Rajesh and Atul, as well as their wives, now face Interpol notices.
In 1993, Atul founded Sahara Computers, the family's first business in South Africa. Coal mines, computers, newspapers and a media
