Is South Africa ready to tackle its corruption problem?

On Tuesday, June 21 at 19:30GMT:
The arrest of two brothers in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month is once again shining a spotlight on governmental corruption in South Africa. Could this be a turning point for the country?

For nearly four years, Rajah and Atul Gupta have been on the run from South African authorities over fraud and money-laundering charges. The Indian-born entrepreneurs moved to South Africa in 1993 and quickly made a name for themselves in the country’s post-apartheid development and investment.

However, it all came crashing down in 2018 as part of an inquiry into the corruption of former president Jacob Zuma. The government claims that at least $32 billion was stolen during Zuma’s nine-year rule and allege that the Gupta’s were able to obtain $3.2 billion in government business as part of a pay-to-play scheme. The brothers have long been close allies of Zuma.

Some political observers believe the Gupta’s arrests could help restore South Africans faith in their government, but only if the men are extradited and a transparent criminal trial is held.

On this episode of The Stream we discuss the case and ask ‘Is South Africa ready to tackle its corruption problem?’.

In this episode of The Stream, we are joined by:
Fahmida Miller, @FahmidaMiller
Correspondent, Al Jazeera English

Kavisha Pillay, @Kavs_Pillay
Head of Stakeholders & Campaigns Unit, Corruption Watch

Phumlani Majozi, @PhumlaniMMajozi
Political Analyst