Guptas get military vehicle due to security threats
SAXONWOLD – The Gupta family have reportedly acquired an armoured military vehicle following the protests on 7 April.
According to News24.com, the Gupta family is now keeping an armoured military vehicle within their compound in Saxonwold following the protests that took place on 7 April.
It is alleged that the Gupta family no longer trust the police to protect them from protestors. The compound, deemed the ‘Saxonwold shebeen’, was a hotspot for the anti-Zuma protests and saw the use of stun grenades to disperse clashing protesters of both the Black First Land First and #ZumaMustFall groups.
The family’s attorney, Gert van der Merwe, told Rapport that the military vehicle in the Gupta Saxonwold compound belonged to [the family] and serves as a protective measure for ‘safety purposes’. Van der Merwe claimed that the protests outside the compound proved a security threat to the well-being of the family. When asked about the legality of privately owning a military vehicle, the attorney told Rapport that he could not comment further without consulting the family first.
Read: JUST IN: Police fire stun grenades to disperse crowds at Gupta compound
The family ditched their attempts at an urgent application at the Pretoria High Court on 8 April to ban further protests outside their compound, as reported by News24. It is further reported that the family wished for an area within a 1km radius of their Saxonwold estate to be declared as prohibited ground for unauthorised protest of any kind.
According to News24.com, the Minister in the Presidency Jeffrey Thamsanqa ‘Jeff’ Radebe confirmed the issue would be reported to the police. It was also reported that Radebe confirmed that no person may own a military vehicle unless it had been demilitarised.
