The Republic of Gupta: A Story of State Capture

Title: The Republic of Gupta
Subtitle: A Story of State Capture
Author: Pieter-Louis Myburgh
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Penguin Books
Cape Town, South Africa 2017
ISBN 9781776090891 / ISBN 978-1-77-609089-1
Softcover, 15 x 23 cm, 306 pages, several colour photographs

About: The Republic of Gupta: A Story of State Capture

What was Ajay Gupta doing on Thabo Mbeki's 'secret advisory council? Did the Guptas play a role in Jacob Zuma's rise to power? How did the Guptas capture South African cricket? What is their interest in the controversial nuclear procurement deal? What influence have they had in the hiring and firing of cabinet ministers? Investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh delves deeper than ever before into the Guptas’ business dealings and their links to prominent South African politicians, and explains how one family managed to transform entire South Africa into the Republic of Gupta.

The Guptas rose to national infamy when a commercial airliner packed with guests for a family wedding was allowed to land at Air Force Base Waterkloof in 2013, sparking an onslaught of public outrage. Since then, they have become embroiled in allegations of state capture, of dishing out cabinet posts to officials who would do their bidding, and of benefiting from lucrative state contracts and dubious loans.

The Republic of Gupta investigates what the Gupta brothers were up to during Thabo Mbeki’s presidency and how they got into the inner circle of President Jacob Zuma. It shines new light on their controversial ventures in computers, cricket, newspapers and TV news, and coal and uranium mining. And it explores their exposure by public protector Thuli Madonsela, their conflict with finance minister Pravin Gordhan, and the real reasons behind the cabinet reshuffle of March 2017.

Pieter-Louis Myburgh is an award-winning investigative journalist. His series of exposés on a multibillion-rand contract for new locomotives at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) earned him several accolades, including South Africa’s prestigious Taco Kuiper Award for investigative journalism. After completing his BPhil (honours) in journalism at Stellenbosch University, Myburgh cut his teeth as a general reporter at Beeld newspaper in Johannesburg. He found his feet as an investigative journalist at the Afrikaans weekly newspaper Rapport before moving to News24, where he still exposes the mechanics of dodgy deals and crooked cronies.

Content: The Republic of Gupta: A Story of State Capture

Preface
Introduction: Unpacking state capture
Prologue: Rough landing
PART I: ORIGINS
1 Subcontinental drift
2 Making friends
3 Mbeki's 'secret' council
PART II: MOVING UP
4 Gauteng offline
5 Capturing cricket
6 Zuma's rise to power
7 The Sishen saga
8 Nuclear family
9 Spooked
PART III: MEDIA MOGULS
10 The dawn of a New Age
11 Gupta TV
PART IV: WATERKLOOFGATE
12 The R75-million wedding splurge
13 Zwane's guest
14 Clusterfuck
15 Pointing fingers
16 The scapegoats
PART V: CASH 'N CAPTURE
17 Horseshoes and gravy trains
18 Dirty money
PART VI: THE UNRAVELLING:
19 Pandoras box
20 Clipped wings and failed probes
21 Battle with the banks and closing shop
22 Pravin'sbomb
23 Thuli's last tango
24 State of capture
25 Endgame
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms
Notes
Index