SOUTH African Communist Party (SACP) leader Solly Mapaila has launched his harshest attack yet on ANC President Jacob Zuma, branding him a “minion” of the tycoon Gupta family.

Speaking on Tuesday night at a memorial lecture for late general secretary Chris Hani, assassinated in 1993, Mr Mapaila called for the resignation of South Africa’s president for “giving away national independence” to the wealthy Indian family.

The Guptas, who are close friends of Mr Zuma, have been implicated in widespread state capture, a scandal that has led to mass protests demanding the president to step down.

“Today we want to take all of our sacrifices and hand them over to a single family literally, the Guptas,” he said.

“Unfortunately our president has accepted their dance tune.”

Mr Mapaila dismissed ANC accusations of a regime change-driven smear campaign against Mr Zuma, saying: “The president is not the victim. There should be no sympathy for a man like him.” He went on to urge support for anti-Zuma protests, but insisted:

“We don’t participate in an anti-ANC programme.”

“We feel that call to defend our national sovereignty from the Guptas and other parasites that have embedded themselves in the state and stateowned enterprises.”

Mr Mapaila attracted criticism earlier this month among members of the ruling tripartite alliance — made up of the ANC, SACP and trades union federation Cosatu — when he spoke on the same platform as opposition figures in Pretoria