ANC was ‘blindsided’ by Guptas and Zuma - Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the State Capture Commission that former president Jacob Zuma's relationship with the Gupta family blindsided the ANC.
He appeared for a second day at the commission on Thursday.
The commission’s chair, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, asked Ramaphosa if the ANC believes it had acted correctly when allegations of the Gupta family's influence surfaced in 2011.
"Chairperson there was some action, but it was not enough. In relation to the Gupta family's influence, I think we were blindsided by the fact that this family was friends to the ultimate leader of our party, and that blindsided us.
"But there were occasions like, for instance when Minister Fikile Mbalula mentioned it in the ANC NEC, there was no immediate action, but he was brave enough to raise and that level of alertness was just not there because we were blindsided by the fact that these people were friends with the President," said Ramaphosa.
He said when the Gupta family landed at the Waterkloof Airforce Base without approval the then ANC general-secretary Gwede Mantashe spoke out.
Ramaphosa said he personally confronted the Guptas on this.
"When the Gupta brothers came to the ANC headquarters to discuss this and other matters I was the one who specifically raised that this should have never happened and it put our president, who is your friend, in great difficulty.”
Ramaphosa reiterated that while ANC was debating how to deal with these matters, many failed to agree because of factions.
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