The Guptas can’t hide from the world

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo was stating the obvious when he said yesterday he did not expect the Gupta family to return to South Africa to give their version of the state capture narrative. If they had nothing to hide, logic says, they should never have fled the country.

However, Zondo, who has ploughed through the seemingly endless evidence of the weapons-grade looting, also believes that the absence of the testimony of the three brothers – Ajay, Atul and Tony – will not affect the credibility of the commission. We tend to agree with him because the stories about how they wormed their way into the state apparatus – through their “useful idiot” Jacob Zuma – seem to be multiplying.

Yet, the Zondo Commission can still serve a useful purpose. Its evidence will help (as it has already done) initiate prosecutions in South Africa … with plenty more to come.

But – and this is the space to watch – there is seemingly enough evidence to involve international law agencies, like those of the United States, which have taken a no-tolerance approach to cross-border crime and, specifically, racketeering.

So, while the Guptas may have ducked Zondo, their sordid story is a long way from being over.

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