Gupta brothers (Ajay, Atul and Rajesh)

Gigaba is close to the Gupta family the controversial business allies of Zuma and his family (AC Vol 58 No 7 Omens and portents)...

Civil society and opposition leaders warn that the country's increasingly fragile constitutional democracy the envy of the region two decades ago is in imminent danger of being hijacked by politicians and securocrats benefitting from the patronage of the Guptas the billionaire family with close business links to state corporations and to Zuma's family...

'Access to the state kitty through the front door of national treasury is more important to them than the national interest… They want to loot and loot with increased haste while they still can ' said Sipho Pityana a former senior official in the governing African National Congress (ANC) and Chairman of the major gold-mining company AngloGold Ashanti with the Guptas clearly in mind...

On 28 March the day Gordhan received his summons the Guptas filed a new affidavit in the High Court...

It is being asked to require Gordhan to appear in person to defend his position on the refusal of South Africa's commercial banks to accept business from the Guptas...

He contends that it would not be lawful for him to order them to restore the Guptas' access to the banks which was cut off last year over the movement of large sums of money out of the country (AC Vol 57 No 21 Stalwarts push for Zuma's exit)...

Gordhan applied to the High Court for vindication of his position while the Guptas insist it is his duty to order the banks to restore their previous access...

The SACP was instrumental in helping Zuma to the presidency of the African National Congress in 2007 but has fallen out with him over his relationship with the Guptas and his ambitions for the succession...

The policy has also become the code for Zuma's strategy to shore up his formidable patronage circle and ensure the continued influence of the controversial Gupta family (AC Vol 52 No 5 The Gupta factor)...

Last year Molefe was accused by the then Public Protector Thuli Madonsela of having a corrupt relationship with the Gupta family...

His recent public statements show Zuma's impatience with Gordhan has grown and the recent price-fixing scandal involving Standard Bank ABSA and Investec has strengthened his campaign to have the Guptas' access to the banks – which was suspended almost a year ago – restored...

For the past year he has been locked in battle with President Jacob Zuma over sundry investigations into the well-connected Gupta family's influence on state spending decisions and presidential plans for multi-billion dollar nuclear power contracts to be awarded to Russian state companies (AC Vol 58 No 1 Power struggle goes nuclear)...

The controversial Gupta brothers allies of the President have interests in uranium (AC Vol 57 No 25 The numbers game next year)...

At the same time Zuma is challenging the legal validity of the outgoing Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report into the business and political influence of the moneyed Gupta family...

This further delays a decision on setting up a judicial commission of inquiry into links between the Guptas and the presidency that Madonsela proposed in October...

The constant flow of assaults on the President's reputation – from a Constitutional Court ruling that he had breached his oath of office by refusing to pay back state funds used to build his retirement home to the outgoing State Protector's damning report on his relations with the Gupta family – have finally told on his core support base in the governing party...

After a torrent of allegations about business collusion between Zuma his family and Ajay Atul and Rajesh Gupta became public on 2 November with the release of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's investigation some Zuma allies are resigning or under threat...

Madonsela's report accuses him of favouring the Guptas with coal supply contracts and helping them to buy Optimum Coal in a deal with Swiss-based commodity giant Glencore (AC Vol 57 No 4 Zupta Inc...

Mkhize was also mentioned as a stern critic of Zuma's ties to private companies in an interview with Madonsela about the Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas who claimed he had been offered substantial sums by the Gupta family to accept the job of Finance Minister on their terms (AC Vol 57 No 22 A week of defeats for Zuma)...

Madonsela's report suggests that Glencore may have lost out when it was pressured to sell Optimum Coal mine to the Gupta family...