Staff Reporter
The ANC’s head of elections Fikile Mbalula said on Friday the party’s powerful 80-odd national executive committee members were too scared to confront President Jacob Zuma about the Gupta’s influence.
Mbalula was giving testimony at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
“I could not understand why 80 of us could not stand up,” Mbalula told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Earlier, Mbalula told the commission that he found it odd that Ajay Gupta called to congratulate him as the new sports minister even before the president officially informed him.
“I got a call from Ajay Gupta … and not Atul Gupta as alleged by former finance minister Trevor Manuel … who congratulated me for my appointment as minister. I could not believe it. I don’t recall what he talked about … I just froze, in a sense, because I was taken aback … I just said, Heh?” Mbalula testified.
Former finance minister Trevor Manuel told the commission recently that Mbalula’s appointment was guided by the Gupta family – the architects of the State Capture phenomenon.
