More than anyone else, the term state capture has been associated with the Gupta brothers, who were claimed of having excessive influence on former South African President Jacob Zuma, accusations that eventually led to his downfall.

The three brothers, Ajay, Atul and Rajesh, were a wealthy family, originally from India’s Uttar Pradesh state and moved to South Africa in 1993.

They started Sahara Computers that later diversified into other sectors including mining and media, building a multi-million-dollar empire over the years. With time, they also developed deep relations with politicians including high ranking officials of the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC) as well as senior government officials.