The Brothers Who Bought South Africa

When the Republic of South Africa was established, following the fall of the Apartheid regime, it had high ambitions. Along with this, a flood of foreign investment promised to transform the country into a modern and successful African state.

However, this dream has been betrayed. In modern South Africa, the country's economy is in a steep decline, and political corruption is endemic. Among the worst example of this is the current ongoing corruption saga related to the Gupta family.

In a process remarkably similar to the rise of the oligarchy in Russia, a well-connected family of Indian migrants managed to, over two decades, take control of much of the South African state. This 'state capture' happened slowly, and despite warnings along the way, the power of the Gupta family only grew. Now, as the true extent of their power is only just being examined, the true failure of the new 'rainbow' South Africa is made all the more clear.

Matthew Campbell and Franz Wild's article for Bloomberg takes a deep dive into the rise of the Guptas and how their parasitic growth into the state was accomplished. Over the course of the article, they detail truly staggering corruption, and links between their family, high-level government officials and even the Russian Government.

The article shows just how easily democracies can be corrupted and serves as a warning of how even the noblest of beginnings can be warped by money and power.