Johannesburg - The wealthy Gupta family, accused of exerting undue influence over President Jacob Zuma, have left country for Dubai, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
“The whole family is in the process of leaving,” family spokesman Nazeem Howa told the City Press weekly.
Read: Are the Guptas really gone?
The paper said that Ajay and Atul Gupta, two brothers from the family of wealthy Indian immigrants who own a vast business empire with interests in mining, media, technology and engineering, were seen on Thursday evening at a Johannesburg airport boarding their private jet for Dubai.
We just received unverified reports that the Gupta's were seen leaving their home in Saxonworld this morning with a big moving truck...
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) April 9, 2016
One of their wives was with them as well as five assistants, with the party boarding the plane “with enough luggage for 20 people,” a witness told the paper.
On Friday, the family released a statement saying they were stepping down from the leadership of Oakbay Investments, a holding company with interests ranging from mining to media, in a move linked to the closure of the firm's accounts by two major banks.
“It is with deep regret that, following a period of sustained political attack on the Gupta family and our businesses... we have come to the conclusion that it is time for the Gupta family to step down from all executive and non-executive positions,” the letter said.
“This follows the unexplained decisions by several of our banking partners and our auditors to cease working with us, and the continued press coverage of false allegations.”
The closure of the bank accounts had made it “virtually impossible to continue to do business in South Africa,” said the letter, which was signed by Howa, Oakbay's chief executive.
AFP