(Gallo Images / The Times / Esa Alexander)
(Gallo Images / The Times / Esa Alexander)
A chortling president was enough to convince these two whistleblowers that it was time to make the #GuptaLeaks emails public.
Speaking in a pre-recorded message to Daily Maverick’s The Gathering in Cape Town, the pair – with their identities protected and voices heavily disguised – revealed their motivations for risking it all, and TimesLive reported their experiences of living in hiding.
What are the #GuptaLeaks emails?
In June 2017, an unfathomably large stack of emails sent to and from the Gupta family were released to journalists. They detailed everything from their illegal spending habits, to the cosy relationships they enjoyed with government officials.
Information about money laundering – and schemes such as the Estina Dairy Farm – were laid bare in the #GuptaLeaks.
Jacob Zuma didn’t have the last laugh
The men were given the pseudonyms of “John and Stan” in their video. It would be Stan who made reference to Zuma’s characteristic “he-he-he” laugh, however – the one he used to deliver in Parliament whenever he was faced with a difficult question.
“I thought to myself‚ ‘people must see what is behind this laughter’. Our decision wasn’t done with any political agenda. It was a matter of right and wrong. I don’t think I could have imagined what would happen. Certainly, the fall of a president was not something we thought of.”
Meanwhile, they also shared the stark realities of what happens to those who decide to blow the whistle. Saying “enough is enough” may be steeped in nobility – and in this case, proved to knock down the president’s house of cards – but as John explains, his life has been turned upside down:
“Leaving home was quite quick‚ we had to get away. You kind of think‚ ‘why on earth did I do this?’ But you know why you did it.”
“Your life‚ your thoughts‚ are where you used to be. Not having a home is quite an experience — and it’s been quite some time that I haven’t had a home.”
Who else blew the whistle on the Guptas?
Their video was played shortly after former Trillian CEO Bianca Goodson and ex-Eskom head of compliance Suzanne Daniels shared their experiences of raising the red flags with the Guptas.
Goodson’s powerful account of how her marriage fell apart and subsequent suicidal feelings really rammed home what a massive toll doing the right thing sometimes takes.
Meanwhile, Daniels confirmed that she had received death threats and believed she was under heavy surveillance from the highest powers of both business and political spheres. Sharing this information comes at a great personal cost, and as South Africans, we are forever indebted to their bravery.
