Two Guptas and Zuma’s Son Quit Oakbay Company

Two of the Gupta family have resigned their positions in the family’s South African company, and President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane has quit one of its subsidiaries, after what was described in a statement on Friday as a “sustained political attack”.

The resignations from Oakby Resources and Energy were of Atul Gupta and Varun Gupta, who the statement said would resign with immediate effect, while Zuma quit as non-executive director of subsidiary Shiva Uranium.

Oakbay said that the resignations were due to concern that the livelihoods of nearly 1,000 employees would be at risk as a result of their association with the company. Earlier this week, four financial institutions cut ties with the family business, which one news report was seriously jeopardising the company’s future.

The Gupta family has come under increased media scrutiny and public criticism recently for its alleged ties to the president and his son, among others, and have been accused of unduly influencing the president in the appointment of cabinet ministers and getting government contracts.

Over the past week, with accusations mounting of the Guptas meddling in public affairs, accounting firm KPMG and Sasfin Bank announced they would no longer do business with the family, and then First National Bank and Absa did likewise It was reported in newspapers on Friday that the family had communicated with the ministries of labour‚ finance‚ mineral resources and the Presidency about the latest turn of events.