By Thabo Mosia
By Thabo Mosia
Gupta Brothers face new raids in India and asset auctions in South Africa amid corruption probe, as India’s Enforcement Directorate conducts searches across multiple cities and South Africa sells off their Saxonwold properties for R34.5 million, intensifying global efforts to address allegations of state capture and money laundering.
In a significant escalation of international efforts to tackle corruption, Gupta Brothers face new raids in India and asset auctions in South Africa amid corruption probe, as India’s Enforcement Directorate conducts searches across multiple cities and South Africa sells off their Saxonwold properties for R34.5 million, intensifying global efforts to address allegations of state capture and money laundering. The once-powerful family, linked to former South African President Jacob Zuma, is under increasing pressure as authorities in both nations work to unravel their financial networks, with recent actions targeting their assets and associates. This development, unfolding today, 3 September 2025, at 12:57 PM SAST, highlights a tightening net that could reshape the narrative around their influence and wealth.
Background to the Gupta Brothers’ Controversy
The Gupta brothers—Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh—moved to South Africa in 1993, building a vast business empire in mining, media, and technology after the end of apartheid. Their close ties with Zuma, who led from 2009 to 2018, sparked allegations of state capture, where they allegedly influenced government deals and appointments for personal gain. This led to billions of rands being siphoned off, drawing scrutiny from South African and global bodies.
Their Saxonwold compound in Johannesburg became a symbol of their power, hosting politicians and business leaders. However, as evidence of corruption mounted, they fled to the UAE in 2018, facing charges of fraud and money laundering. Despite arrests in 2022 under an Interpol red notice, the UAE rejected extradition, citing technical issues, leaving South Africa to pursue other avenues like asset seizures.
Recent Raids in India by the Enforcement Directorate
India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched raids on Tuesday, targeting properties in New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and the Gupta family’s ancestral home in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. These operations, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), followed a Mutual Legal Assistance Request (MLAR) from South Africa, aiming to trace the financial trail of the alleged state capture scandal.
The five-hour search at the Saharanpur residence uncovered documents and digital records linked to money laundering, shell companies, and offshore transactions. Investigators focused on businesses connected to the Gupta brothers, including Piyoosh Goyal’s World Window Group and Ram Ratan Jagati, who allegedly used a Dubai-based shell company, JJ Trading FZE, to move illicit funds. This cross-border probe signals growing cooperation between India and South Africa to dismantle the Guptas’ financial web.
Asset Auction of Saxonwold Properties in South Africa
Meanwhile, South Africa has taken concrete steps to recover assets tied to the Guptas. On an unspecified date in 2025, Park Village Auctions (PVA) successfully sold the family’s three Saxonwold properties—numbers 3, 5, and 7 Saxonwold Drive in Sandton, Gauteng—for approximately R34.5 million. The sale included furniture, appliances, and other contents, with the total reflecting buyer’s commission and VAT.
PVA’s Clive Lazarus noted the significance of the sale, stating, “Park Village Auctions has realised approximately R34.5 million for all three Saxonwold properties and their contents.” This follows years of legal battles and business rescue proceedings for Confident Concept, a Gupta-linked company, which entered financial distress in 2018. The auction marks a milestone in reclaiming funds for creditors affected by the corruption scandal.
Global Pressure and Legal Challenges
The Guptas’ influence has waned as international pressure mounts. Their 2022 arrests in the UAE offered hope for extradition, but the rejection forced South Africa to refine its treaty with the UAE, with a new request pending. India’s raids add another layer, targeting associates like Goyal and Jagati, whose Dubai shell company is central to the laundering probe.
South Africa’s asset liquidation, including the Saxonwold sale, aims to recover losses estimated in billions of rands. Past efforts, like the 2018 seizure of R220 million from a Free State dairy project, show a pattern of reclaiming misappropriated funds. However, the Guptas and Zuma deny wrongdoing, claiming political targeting, which fuels debate over the investigations’ fairness.
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