The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has denied that it is captured by the Guptas.

The union was reacting to a story aired on eNCA on Thursday night wherein it’s general-secretary David Sipunzi said the Guptas funded it’s Central Executive Committee conference in June this year to the tune of R1.5 million, and that the Guptas secured the union’s backing in acquiring the controversial Optimum Coal Mine in Mpumalanga.

The NUM is holding a hotly contested elective conference of its youth structure in Pretoria.

On Thursday night, Spunzi said he and his faction were funded by the Gupta-owned Shiva Uranium mine when they unsuccessfully contested for leadership in 2012.

In the interview, Spunzi said the Gupta money was channelled to them through Joseph Montisetsi who is now the deputy president of the union.

On Friday, NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu denied that.

Mambuuru admits that the union received R1.5 million from the Guptas in June. But he says there’s nothing sinister about the payment.

He says neither was there anything sinister about the union’s backing of the Guptas to acquire the controversial Optimum Coal Mine.

Spunzi was not able to commnet to the SABC on Friday. We were informed he flew out to Greece on Thursday night, and that Deputy President Joseph Montisetsi was travelling to Botswana.