Gupta Wedding: Blue lights brigade

[Citizen X]

The Gupta’s are coming to town! Apparently, allegedly, early today, supposed friends and family of Gupta arrived at the waterkloof Airbase and were escourted by a Blue Light Brigade..
1. Did the Gupta family hire the Waterkloof Air Base? Is Gupta allowed to hire Waterkloof Airbase?
2. Did the Gupta family declare all their relevant items on arrival?
3. Is the Blue Light Brigade(VIP protection and police) allowed to escort a private family to a wedding?

4. Is your tax money paying for this private family to be escourted as if they were a visting President of another country?
Why has the South African Defence Force allowed the Guptas to use this base and why are they being given special treatment such as police escorts and blue light brigade.

Keen to see how this story unravels! Thank goodness and thank God for our media

[Blurock]

First signs of a failed state; entitlement, corruption, benefits for friends....

[Citizen X]

First signs of a failed state; entitlement, corruption, benefits for friends....

As far as I'm concerned the Guptas are just fellow South Africans and are not entitled to any special treament by Government, yes, visiting Presidents, dignataries and diplomats are a different story!

[Citizen X]

“Gupta family gets royal escort”[1]

“JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Defence on Tuesday says it did not grant permission to any private citizen to use the Waterkloof Air Force Base.
The department's Siphiwe Dlamini told Eyewitness News: “It is a national key point and its usage is for state visitors exclusively. I can confirm that permission for usage for a private citizen has not been granted.”
In a statement released this morning the Gupta family said the base was used with the full permission of the relevant authorities.
The statement claimed the "permissions were applied for and granted to the Indian High Commission and not the family".
Earlier, Eyewitness News learnt the Gupta family used the air base outside Pretoria to fly in relatives and dignitaries from India.
Dozens of Gupta family members arrived earlier to attend a wedding at Sun City this week. Vega Gupta (23) is the daughter of Achla, the Gupta brothers' only sister.
The Guptas are close allies of President Jacob Zuma.
Police Flying Squad and VIP protection unit cars could be seen escorting dozens of white Range Rovers out of the Waterkloof Air Force Base.
EWN spotted a large convoy with sirens and lights flashing speeding on the N1 North highway, ushering motorists out of the way.
It is understood the Guptas have chartered several private jets to fly family to South Africa for a wedding.
It is unclear at this stage why the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has allowed the family to use the air force base, and why the police are providing a personal escort service.
Atul Gupta was at the base earlier and told EWN he would grant an interview later.
Members of the public who noticed the blue-light brigade leaving the Waterkloof Air Force Base told EWN what they saw a "a black BMW that looked like members of government and police".
“We were driving behind them; there were about 13 vehicles, and we saw them take the Sun City off-ramp," one person said.”

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[1]B Bateman B & Nicolaides G. Gupta family gets royal escort. http://ewn.co.za/2013/04/30/Gupta-family-gets-royal-SA-escort. Accessed 30 April 2013

[Citizen X]

The plot thickens!

“SA: Statement by Haranath Ghosh, Gupta wedding spokesperson, on Gupta wedding guests arrival (30/04/2013”[1]
“It is indeed sad that 702 has chosen to misrepresent easily checkable facts without consideration of the damage it is doing to the Gupta family at a time it wants to celebrate a very important wedding. Waterkloof Air Force base was used with full permission of the authorities to receive foreign dignitaries including some ministers.
It is a conventional and common practice between countries in receiving officials from another state. Waterkloof was used as Lanseria airport could not accommodate the size of jet chartered by the family. The permissions were applied for and granted to the Indian High Commission and not the family. These rights can be applied for by any foreign embassy. Naturally suitable protocol was used to receive and transport the foreign ministers to the wedding.

All arrangements were done transparently and a simple call to the authorities by 702 would have clarified this”


This still doesn’t answer the question as to why Gupta friends and family were allowed to use the base. Foreign ministers, yes, but not private families.

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[1] http://www.polity.org.za/article/sa-...013-2013-04-30

[flaker]

I think we should have just charged them 5 mil for use of the base. Small change for rich folks. & then thanked them for spending a further 10-20 mils during their stay here.

[Blurock]

WE do not have enough police to combat crime, but we have police available to escort a blue light brigade of Zuma's friends. Who pays for all of this?

This is exactly the reason why the information bill had to be passed, so that the ANC can hide activities like this!

[pmbguy]

WE do not have enough police to combat crime, but we have police available to escort a blue light brigade of Zuma's friends. Who pays for all of this?

This is exactly the reason why the information bill had to be passed, so that the ANC can hide activities like this!

Its a cluster F****

[Citizen X]

This is very disturbing! All South Africans are equal, but it seems that for some, they are far superior that the ordinary citizen: US.

I love the media, they doing a sterling job! Let's see how investigative journalism unravels this one..

[pmbguy]

First that goes is freedom of speech, then the autonomy of the judicial system.
My bad, this is happening...wait...how long can we speak about this...on this forum...?...


The current system will consume itself if left at its own devices. And then greater powers will consume it.
Just hope the sun rises sooner than later

[Citizen X]

National key point?
Oh really? Helen Zille, a Premier was denied access to Inkandla, yet the family and friends of Gupta are allowed to land at a national Key point which is a military airbase!
I reiterate that such courtesies are extended to Ministers and dignitaries etc. It should never be extended to family of a South African citizen and such family is non-nationals.
This, in my opinion, was a threat to our National Security as non-nationals of another country who are civilians, don’t hold South African citizenship and are only the family and friends of Gupta get to be treated as visiting Ministers and are allowed to use a National Key point

[Blurock]

The military denied that they gave permission for the landing. So how could an aircraft that had no military clearance land at our primary air force base? Who was the air controller in charge and why did he/she give permission to land? Who was in command of the base and was there a dereliction of duties? Why were our jets not scrambled to protect the key point? Can any foreign power now fly in to Waterkloof and land at will?

Concerning the guests; did they go through customs and did the authorities check for contraband and "illegal imports". Did they declare their gifts and is there any import tax or duties payable on those items so imported?

It is clear that more than one rule or law had been broken here. Who is accountable, or was this an instruction from Zuma himself and nobody had the balls to tell him that there are procedures to follow. Will anyone take responsibility? Not likely...

My heart goes out to the minister of defence and the chief of the air force. In this world there are people that make things happen; those that watch things happen and those who have no clue of what's happening.

[Justloadit]

The fact that the defense force did not give permission to land, does not detract that they were instructed to allow the landings.
There is a difference, I think that the reply to the media was a half sentence, the half which said they did not give the permission. The president has the final word here, and will trump any so called written laws/requirements..

[IanF]

What is sad to me about this whole saga is that the government/ANC will never release the whole story. They don't seem to care.
It is sad that the ANC is dragging us into being just another African basket case.

[Citizen X]

What is sad to me about this whole saga is that the government/ANC will never release the whole story. They don't seem to care.

South Africa is watching!!!

The more I think about this, the more angry I become as an ordinary South African!

1. Even if there were Ministers from India on that plane, they were not here on official business i.e. diplomatic relations or discussions between South Africa and India, these Ministers were here to attend a private wedding of friends. These friends i.e. those who actually got married and their parents and uncles are ordinary South Africans like you and I; SA can’t roll out the red carpet and blue light brigade for ministers coming to attend a private function of a South African citizen! Who is this South African citizen that she needs such special treatment so as to infringe upon my and your safety and security by using a National Key point , a military airbase to accommodate her friends and family!

2. Not everyone on that plane were ministers, they were non- nationals being treated as if they were visiting presidents from another country!

3. All things been equal is the Government going to allow them to fly back from Waterkloof in the same way that they arrived? I’m sincerely hoping not! They can stand in the queue and go through customs like all other people!