'He Asked Me To Give Him A Massage'

Former female staff members of the Guptas have come forward with shocking allegations of sexual harassment

THANKS to the explosive emails the Guptas’ astonishing attempts to manipulate state coffers, the economy and the government have been laid bare. But recently revelations of a different nature emerged when former female employees told of shocking sexual harassment at the hands of the brothers.

The women spoke to online newspaper The Daily Maverick’s investigative unit, Scorpio, which – along with amaBhungane (see box on the right) – has been at the forefront of the email revelations. This is their story.

IT WAS the worst 24 hours of my life.”

That’s how a former personal assistant to Rajesh “Tony” Gupta describes her time working for him. She only lasted one day.

Her name and identity have been confirmed but for her own protection we’ll call her Christine. All the women who spoke to us for this story insisted on anonymity out of fear for their personal safety.

Christine said that on the first and only day of working for Tony she was required to accompany him from Johannesburg – on what would be an overnight business trip – to Cape Town.

On the Guptas’ private jet Tony didn’t speak to her at all. Upon arrival at a house in Cape Town she was offered a Coke to drink and told she wasn’t allowed to use her cellphone at any time.

“I couldn’t even let my husband know I was there safely,” Christine remembers. She was then instructed to go into a bedroom for a “meeting” with Tony.

“He told me all his PAs are expected to give him massages and sleep in the same bed as him,” Christine says. “I told him I wasn’t comfortable with that and would prefer my own bed and bathroom. He then asked me to give him a massage. I declined.”

She says that throughout her time in the house she was offered no food but continuously urged to accept Cokes to drink.