Johannesburg - Former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas gave chilling testimony at the state capture inquiry on Friday.
The commission of inquiry into state capture, which is headed by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, is investigating allegations of corruption largely centred around the infamous Gupta family and former president Jacob Zuma.
In 2016 Jonas publicly announced that he was allegedly bribed by one of the Gupta brothers.
Here are some of the revelations Jonas made at the inquiry on Friday about the Gupta families alleged involvement in capturing the National Treasury:
* “Mr Gupta said they were aware of my activities and the people I was interacting with and that I was working with ANC general secretary Mr Gwede Mantashe, Treasurer General Mr Zweli Mkhize. He said these activities were not good for me and these were bad guys.”
* “Mr Gupta said the old man (referring to former president Jacob Zuma) seemed to like me and asked them to check me out and to see whether I can 'work with us'. He said that the president was going to fire Mr (Nhlanhla) Nene because he could not work with them.”
* “He said that I should understand that 'we are in control of everything, the NPA, the Hawks the national intelligence agency and the old man will do anything we tell him to do'.”
* “He said that the old man intended appointing me as the Minister of Finance. I was shocked and angered by this statement and I said I was not interested in becoming the Minister of Finance.”
Picture: Matthews Baloyi/African News Agency/ANA
* “Mr Gupta said I must become the minister of finance because that’s what 'we want' and that I would have to work with them. He also said that if I would work with them, I would become very rich and that he could immediately offer me R600 million. He pointed at Mr Duduzane (Zuma) and said they made him a billionaire and that he had bought a house in Dubai. He said they work with a number of people including Lynne Brown and Brian Molefe, and as a result, they were protected.”
* “He said at the moment they earned about R6 billion from the fiscus through various entities such as Eskom and Transnet. He said they wanted to increase this figure to about R8 billion and that they thought I could be helpful in this regard. Mr Gupta said they had determined that the National Treasury was a stumbling block for their growth. And they wanted to start to clean up Treasury.”
* “He said when I appointed as Minister of Finance I would have to remove the DG Lungisa Fuzile and chief procurement officer, Kenneth Brown. He said they said they would provide me with support including advisers."
* "As I was walking to the door of the house, Mr Gupta directed me to the bar area and said that they were serious about offering me R600 million, that it would be deposited into an account of my choice and that they could open an account for me and I could stash it in Dubai.''
* "Mr Gupta repeated that they had information on me and if I suggested that the meeting had occurred, they would kill me.”
Jonas concluded his testimony and faced a few questions from Zondo. The deputy chief justice said Jonas would be called back to answer further questions for clarity.
The inquiry continues on Monday.