Parliament - The Guptas, Dudu Myeni and Duduzane Zuma face arrest if they fail to respond to the summons issued by Parliament.
This warning came after the portfolio committee on public enterprises said on Tuesday it would no longer tolerate the trio’s stalling tactics.
Acting chairperson of the committee Zukiswa Rantho said they decided that the summons would be served on Myeni, the Guptas and Zuma at their respective addresses.
The three parties had cited different reasons for not being served with a summons to appear before the inquiry into state capture.
“The process is going to be that, the summonses are already out, but they did not give their addresses. The legal and administration team of the committee will do that work.
“We suggested that if they don’t appear before the committee after the summonses have been issued, we will hand the summonses over to the police, who must issue warrants of arrest,” said Rantho.
Deputy Minister of International Relations Luwellyn Landers also faced questions in the National Council of Provinces from the DA and the EFF to extradite the Guptas.
Leon Magwebu of the DA wanted to know whether Ajay Gupta, as a fugitive from justice and the other two Guptas who were also wanted, could not be arrested by the South African embassy in Dubai.
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The DA and EFF said the Department of International Relations must work with other departments, including justice, to extradite the Guptas.
Landers said they had not yet received a request.
“The member (Magwebu) said the Guptas left for Dubai under the radar in February. If a request is made to the embassy in Dubai, that embassy has to carry out the provisions of that request,” Landers responded.
Asked by Tebogo Mokwele of the EFF if his department would help, Landers replied yes.
The DA’s Natasha Mazzone pointed out that in the closed meeting it was resolved that Parliament would go to court to force Myeni, Zuma and the Guptas to appear before the Parliamentary inquiry.
“Parliament’s public enterprises committee, in a closed meeting today [Tuesday], resolved to launch an application for an edictal citation (summons) in the high court to force the Gupta brothers, Dudu Myeni and Duduzane Zuma to testify before the Eskom inquiry,” said Mazzone.
During the open meeting of the committee, parties called for action against the Guptas, Myeni and Zuma. They said they wanted them to come to Parliament and warned they would not tolerate delays.
Steve Swart of the ACDP said the summonses must be served to the three parties at their known addresses.
“We know the Guptas are appearing in the Indian tax court, the sheriff can serve their summonses at their last known address, which is Saxonwold,” Swart pointed out.
He said the same must be done with Myeni and Zuma.
Narend Singh of the IFP also backed the calls for the issuing of the summonses to the three.
He said he found it difficult to believe Parliament cannot serve the summonses to the three parties, while their addresses are known.
“They cannot ignore Parliament,” he said.