In his revolutionary treatise, Rights of Man, acclaimed activist-philosopher Thomas Paine jotted down a timeless truth: "Time wins more converts than reason."

There was a time when this columnist used to be insulted by many in the ANC for suggesting that the relationship between the Guptas and Jacob Zuma is rotten.

When we said that the Guptas are modern-day imperialists who are bent on corrupting our state, we were dismissed as self-hating "clever blacks" who don't want to see black people get rich.

The Guptas are not South African by birth; it appears that they came here upon realising that, after apartheid, a massive opportunity presented itself for them to make money through political connections.

These are shrewd opportunists who have analysed South Africa well. Look at their activities closely, and you will see a calculated strategy unfolding.

Their grand strategy is to capture the South African state, and within that strategy there are tactics for specific sectors of our society.

In politics, they donate money to leading political parties like the ANC and the DA - a tactic aimed at silencing both the governing party and the opposition.

The second leg of their political strategy is to capture the state president. They tried and failed under former president Thabo Mbeki, for Mbeki is a principled man, not a hollow kleptocrat.

As the political tide was turning against Mbeki in the ANC, the Guptas quickly plotted to steal Zuma from Schabir Shaik.

It would be difficult to dismiss a view that the Guptas probably perceive South African-born Indians through the lens of the Indian caste system.

After all, ancestors of South African-born Indians came here on boats as slaves. The Guptas came on an aeroplane.

India is known for its caste system that condemns people to a lower status on the basis of their birth.

As descendants of the ancient (upper-caste) Gupta Empire in India, the Guptas probably could not tolerate watching a future president, Zuma, in the hands of a lower-caste Indian, Shaik, whose ancestors came to South Africa on a slave boat.

Their conduct demonstrates that they have no regard for the South African constitution and the obligations it imposes on elected representatives like Zuma and ministers like Pravin Gordhan.

In reference to the Guptas, Gordhan has made it clear that the democratic state must not be controlled by a family.

But Zuma was an easy target for the Guptas. The man already had a history of prostrating himself before moneybags. If you have money, Zuma is buyable.

The Greek philosopher Plato once suggested that philosopher-kings (heads of state) must not be allowed to have wives and children, since that would divert their attention from matters of state.

Plato was right: how can Zuma not be corruptible when he has more than 20 children, four wives and God knows how many concubines?

We know how much Zuma earns, and that it is not enough to feed his large army of dependents. The Guptas know it too. They have co-opted Zuma's son.

For the Guptas, Zuma's capture is also a business strategy. When they chase deals, they allegedly front Zuma's son as a BEE partner and an offspring of power. Who would not tremble before such a crude deployment of power?

Leader of state-owned companies, with tacit approval from Zuma, all say "Yes" when the mighty Guptas say, "We want this deal!"

So power-drunk have the Guptas become that they even summon ANC cadres and offer them ministerial positions, while Zuma giggles in the room next door.

This is to make clear to alleged Gupta lackeys Mosebenzi Zwane, Des van Rooyen and others that Zuma is not their real boss.

Men of principle like Mcebisi Jonas, who have the audacity to say "No" to the Guptas, are indeed very rare.

For us, the gullible public, the Guptas have given us ANN7 and The New Age newspaper to divert our attention while they loot.

These dodgy media instruments didn't bother to report on the illegal landing of an aeroplane carrying Gupta relatives at Waterkloof Air Force Base.

In short, this is how the Guptas operate.

They are already probably working hard to capture the next ANC president.

Their first prize will more likely be Nkosazana, given her Zuma connection. The so-called Premier League seems to be hired mercenaries of the Guptas.

Lenin would ask: What is to be done?

Three things can be done.

Firstly, the next ANC president must revoke the Guptas' South African citizenship and order them to leave our country. Lesotho has done something similar.

As soon as Zuma goes, hopefully this year, all the contracts the Guptas have with state-owned companies must be cancelled - forthwith, and a trouble-shooter legal team must be set up to clean up the mess.

Thomas Paine was correct: time, more than reason, has now made it possible for many people to realise that the Guptas are a grave danger to our beloved country - South Africa.