Sundaram brings his testimony back to the day of ANN7's launch, about how some technical equipment was still being installed on the day of the launch. "So there was a whole lot of lying which we were required to do when we went to the DStv meetings," says Sundaram. 

Sundaram says they were forced to go to technical meetings with DStv and "with a straight face" would have to tell them lies about how they were at a very "advanced stage" and they were already doing 24-hour news bulletins. 

Sundaram reads from an email from September 2013 that spoke of a "cover-up" operation by the Guptas and others to hide the tracks of the visa fraud.

Sundaram: "I was told later that Ashu Chawla, through the offices of the president, could give any number of visas, to any number of people. So if it works out cheaper for them to fly people down by the plane load from India, to construct here, that's what they would do, rather than pay salaries here."

Sundaram: "Mr Gupta also had a lot of uncharitable things to say about workers here - he said they were lazy, they would work a certain number of hours, if he asked them to work overnight, they wouldn't do that. They wouldn't stay at the site and work. So just get people from India and let them stay at the site, give them very basic facilities, give them a sack of rice to cook onsite, supply them some meals from the guesthouse and put them in...I would call them sub-human conditions in which they were working."

Sundaram says that's when he found out that these kinds of violations were taking place in South Africa. 

Sundaram: "There was very basic facilities for toilets and washrooms... this Nepali national would cook for them, and the drivers would ferry the food to those people. And also, I remember Ajay Gupta and others complaining about how those people have, a large number of them, were coming to The New Age office to use the washrooms."

Sundaram: "So, on the one hand, you don't provide them enough washrooms at site, and when they come to the office, there is a total amount of disgust that he would talk about..."

Sundaram: "So they would sleep at site, they would work at site, they would be working 24 hours, there were no labour laws that were applicable to those people. And in my view, why when there is abundant supply of skilled and unskilled labour for construction in South Africa, why would they get these people from there?"

Sundaram again mentions the Nepali national working at the Gupta-owned guesthouse where he stayed when he first came to SA. The Nepali national would not get paid, but would have to do housework and cook for dozens of people. 

Sundaram says the Nepali national told him about the working conditions he and other labourers were put in, that were "sub-human"...

"The labourers would come from India on tourist visas," Sundaram says, and they were staying at the studio while they were constructing it.

Sundaram: "ANN7 had conned SABC into giving them a contract which said that ANN7 would self-declare how many seconds were used, of SABC footage. And I can tell you for a fact that there was no way to monitor this, either at ANN7 or at SABC. So SABC would've had to go with the declaration that ANN7 got, and from day one, I understand from my conversations with Nazeem Howa, there was an intention on the part of ANN7 to give a figure that was much lower than what was being used..."

Sundaram says that the footage obtained from the SABC was given to them at a "throwaway price".

Rajesh Sundaram, former editor of ANN7, is reminded that he is still under oath and now continues with his testimony, led by Advocate Thandi Norman from the commission's legal team.

Proceedings are now under way - Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo starts off by addressing a few issues. 

ICYMI: 

ANN7 launch was a disaster, ex-editor tells inquiry 

Former ANN7 editor Rajesh Sundaram, who was tasked with kick-starting the channel, has described how the launch of the news station was a "train wreck", adding that he had little say.

Sundaram was testifying at the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture on Monday. He said for the launch to happen under his watch was "the saddest, saddest day of my life".

He told inquiry chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that Ajay and Atul Gupta had decided to launch the channel without consulting any professionals.

ICYMI: 

Zuma had hands-on role in running of ANN7, inquiry hears 

Former president Jacob Zuma was actively involved in the running of the now defunct TV news channel ANN7, the state capture inquiry heard on Monday.

Testifying at the Zondo commission on Monday, ANN7’s former editor, Rajesh Sundaram, said although Duduzane Zuma, the son of the former president, was a shareholder, his involvement was minimal. 

Sundaram told the inquiry’s chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, that Zuma had a "much bigger interest" in the station.

He told the commission about how he got the sense that the Guptas had good ties with the president. "President Zuma was very warm toward them." 

ICYMI: 

'My visa was cleared fairly quickly within a matter of a day' - ex-ANN7 editor tells state capture inquiry 

Former editor of TV news channel ANN7, Rajesh Sundaram, has told the judicial commission on inquiry into allegations of state capture that Gupta associate Ashu Chawla used his influence to bypass procedures to help him obtain his work permits.

Sundaram was testifying before inquiry chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Monday. 

He said before he came to South Africa, he did research on how to obtain a visa.

But when he realised that it was going to take a while for him to obtain one, Infinity media shareholder Laxmi Goel told him that they had a "setting with the high office in South Africa" and that the visa would be done in no time. 

ICYMI: 

#StateCaptureInquiry: TNA and ANN7 were punished for reporting on 'white collar corporate capture' – Manyi 

Former head of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Mzwanele Manyi says The New Age (TNA) newspaper and its sister news channel ANN7 were "punished" for reporting on "white collar corporate capture".

Manyi bought TNA and ANN7 from the Gupta family in 2017. The media companies went under about a year later.

Appearing before the state capture commission of inquiry on Monday, Manyi said the media units were "punished" by the private sector – whose role players "hunt like a pack" – because they offered an alternative voice to the mainstream media.

Manyi said it was a "tragedy" that about 500 people lost their jobs when TNA and ANN7 closed. He said that when he took over the media units in 2017, he came into a loss-making organisation. He said it was "already bleeding, something like R5m per month".

ICYMI: 

'Unlawfulness' in Transnet's 1 064 train tender, inquiry hears 

There was unlawfulness in the request for proposals issued by Transnet for 1 064 locomotives, the state capture inquiry has heard.

The inquiry, which has been holding hearings on allegations of fraud and corruption at several state entities since August 2018, heard from Tshiamo Sedumedi of MNS Attorneys on Tuesday. MNS compiled six investigative reports into Transnet, it was asked to probe allegations of irregularities by the state-owned entity's previous board.

In his testimony, Sedumedi shared evidence that there was unlawfulness in the request for proposals were issued, that there were changes introduced in the bid evaluation process and that the estimated total cost of the project increased from R38.6bn stated in the business case to R54bn. 

ICYMI: 

R647m price tag for relocation of train assembly point 'unjustifiable' 

The R647m price tag attached to the cost of relocating an assembly point for Transnet locomotives was simply unjustifiable, the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture heard on Thursday. The estimated initial cost for the move was only R9.7m.  

Roberto Gonsalves, who represents one of the minority shareholders in a consortium which benefited from Transnet contracts for 1064 locomotives, was presenting evidence to the commission on Thursday afternoon. The multi-billion rand contracts have been beset by cost inflation and allegations of corruption and kickbacks.

The commission, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, is investigating allegations of corruption, fraud and maladministration at several state entities. 

ICYMI: 

State Capture Inquiry: Booysen details Gupta visit in a Rolls Royce 

Former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen has detailed how Duduzane Zuma, son of former president Jacob Zuma, drove him to the Gupta family home in a Rolls Royce.

Testifying before the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture on Friday, Booysen told deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo that he received a call from Duduzane Zuma, who asked to meet him at the Gautrain station in Sandton.

Booysen said he asked his son, Eben to accompany him. The former KZN Hawks head said when he met with Duduzane Zuma, he drove with him in the Rolls Royce while his son followed them in his Toyota Corolla.