The Democratic Alliance has opened a criminal against Deputy Finance Minister Sfiso Buthelezi‚ who is alleged to have benefited from the R150-million Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) contracts while he was its chairperson.

The charges‚ made at the Cape Town central police station on Friday‚ are in terms of the Prevention of Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act.

Times Media reported on Monday that Buthelezi and his brother Nkanyiso were implicated in the leaked Gupta emails. A News24 reported that Inala Shipping‚ owned by Nkanyiso Buthelezi‚ was involved in managing the shipping and logistics of a major locomotive import deal. Sebenza Forwarding and Shipping‚ a company in which the deputy minister was the ultimate beneficiary‚ was roped in to handle customs clearing in the deal.

The cache of leaked emails has exposed a web of wheeling and dealing in which the Gupta family allegedly amassed a fortune through lucrative government contracts‚ using top government officials to open doors.

The DA said in a statement that in terms of the Act‚ “Buthelezi could be guilty of the offence of corruption‚ an offence in respect of contracts‚ an offence in respect of tenders and an offence relating to private interests in public contracts”.

The party said it has written to Parliament's transport committee chairperson‚ Dikeledi Magadzi‚ asking that the Hawks update the committee on its Prasa investigations.