by Our Foreign Desk

THE women’s wing of South Africa’s ruling party the ANC lashed out yesterday at opponents of President Jacob Zuma.

In a statement, the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) said that the country was still living the legacy of apartheid and that Mr Zuma’s detractors such as billionaire Johann Rupert and public protector Thuli Madonsela complained, but did not do enough themselves to move South Africa forward.

Mr Rupert, along with the opposition Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters parties, has being trying to get Mr Zuma to repay public money spent on security upgrades to his home after Ms Madonsela found it was inappropriate expenditure.

The opposing parties have also criticised what they see as government support for the wealthy Gupta family’s buyouts of ailing mining firms.

Deflecting blame from Mr Zuma, the ANCWL pointed out that Ms Madonsela, the national ombudsman, pledged in 2011 to investigate a 3 billion rand (£115 million) corruption scandal at Absa Bank, now Barclays South Africa, which was alleged to have received funds to prop up the apartheid regime.

“To this day apartheid crimes remain unpunished and Absa Bank continues to operate with no penalties,” ANCWL said.

Now the Rembrandt Group — headed by Mr Rupert, who has led demands for Mr Zuma to resign — is also implicated in the Absa report.

The league also accused the major banks refusing to do business with the Gupta ­family of themselves enjoying government support for ­controversial acquisitions in the past.