Salim Essa

Salim Essa is a South African businessman best known for his links to the Gupta family, alongside which he stands accused of state capture.

Essa owns shares in several Gupta family companies[1] and was the supposedly sole shareholder in VR Laser Asia,[2] a company later revealed to have been controlled by the Gupta family.[3] When South African banks withdrew services from the Gupta family and their companies, Essa and a partner attempted to acquire Habib Overseas Bank.[4] This was interpreted as a mechanism to protect Gupta assets.[5]

Essa started in business as a trader in his father's wholesalers.[6]

In June 2017 Essa sold his controlling shareholding in Trillian Holdings,[7][8] a company linked to the alleged looting of state-owned enterprises.[9][10]

In November 2017 Eskom employee Suzanne Daniels testified before Parliament that Essa had facilitated meetings between her and a Gupta family member, and knew about executive suspensions at Eskom before they happened.[11]

In June 2018 Essa launched a dramatic bid to keep engineering company VR Laser in business, offering a R70 million cash injection minutes before creditors were due to vote on its liquidation.[12]