JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African elite police unit Hawks sealed off roads around the home of businessmen friends of President Jacob Zuma, a Reuters witness said.

The Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi was not immediately available for comment, but the state broadcaster quoted him as saying the police were there as part of a raid.

The Guptas are accused by the anti-graft watchdog of using the friendship with Zuma to amass wealth. Both deny any wrong doing. Zuma was asked by the ruling African National Congress to step down as head of state this week.</s>An elite South African police unit has raided a home of the influential Gupta family in Johannesburg as part of an investigation into corruption and influence peddling with the government.

Wednesday's raid in the northern suburb Saxonworld comes as the country waits to see if President Jacob Zuma would resign after being asked to do so by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.

The Gupta family, an Indian-born South African business family, is central to the corruption allegations pitted against Zuma.

It is alleged that the president gave the family undue access to sensitive state information, government contracts, as well as a role in hiring and firing of cabinet ministers.

These accusations became known in local parlance as "state capture".

Zuma's presidency has been characterised by allegations of corruption and racketeering in a tenure that has tested both the resolve of the ANC and government to hold its own to account.

Both Zuma and the Guptas have denied any wrongdoing.

Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesperson for elite Hawks police unit, described the investigation on the Guptas as "very serious".

"We're not playing around in terms of making sure that those who are responsible in the so-called 'state capture' take responsibility for it," Mulaudzi told local media.

Two family members have been reportedly arrested.

The move to tackle the Guptas has been widely lauded, though analysts and activists say that the fight against corruption has only just begun.

"I hope this does reflect a change of attitude on part of the state to go after the most obvious and egregious forms of organised crime, Eric Pelser of the Institute of Security Studies in Pretoria, told Al Jazeera.

"The Guptas are the symbol of high-level corruption. Without taking on Guptas there can be no serious attempt on tackling high-level corruption in South Africa," Pelser added.

Similarly, Moleko Phakedi, deputy general of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), said they were encouraged by the raid. He, too, told Al Jazeera that the action should not end with the Guptas.

"We have decried the lack of action by the Hawks, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and it is encouraging to see the raid. It must not stop at the raid of the Guptas.

"There has been overwhelming evidence of the crimes they have committed - the Gupta leaks, the public protector's report. We are encouraged. We want to see other political heavyweights, who have also had their hands in the cookie jar, arrested," Phakedi added.

On Monday, the ANC asked Zuma to step down as president, but his refusal to do so has left the country in a political conundrum.

Officials said that the president was expected to respond to the request from the ruling party later on Wednesday.

The ANC does not have the power to force Zuma out of office, which means that should the party push for his removal, they would have to call for a vote of no confidence in parliament.</s>JOHANNESBURG, Feb 14 (Reuters) - South African elite police unit Hawks sealed off roads around the home of businessmen friends of President Jacob Zuma, a Reuters witness said. The Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi was not immediately available for comment, but the state broadcaster quoted him as saying the police were there as part of a raid.

The Guptas are accused by the anti-graft watchdog of using the friendship with Zuma to amass wealth. Both deny any wrong doing. Zuma was asked by the ruling African National Congress to step down as head of state this week. (Reporting by James Oatway; Writing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)</s>Two people have been arrested in a raid on the home of the controversial Gupta family in South Africa as part of a government influencing investigation.

The wealthy India-born Gupta family have been accused of “state capture” – using their friendship with President Zuma to wield enormous political influence for their business interests.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny the allegations made against them.

Mr Zuma is under pressure to resign, in part because of links to the Guptas.

He is expected to respond shortly to a formal request from the African National Congress (ANC) to step down.

Mr Zuma was replaced as the party’s leader in December by his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, but has so far resisted calls to resign as president.

An official has said he was willing to stand down in the next three to six months, but top leadership want him to withdraw immediately.

The scandal-hit leader has been in power since 2009, but has been dogged by corruption allegations.

The Hawks, South Africa’s priority crime unit, confirmed they were searching the Gupta’s walled compound near Johannesburg zoo on Wednesday morning.

Who are the Guptas?

The embattled Gupta family, who own a range of businesses in South Africa, have been accused of using their influence and relationship with Mr Zuma to access millions of dollars of government contracts.</s>The home of the controversial Gupta family is being raided by South African police, as part of an investigation into alleged government influencing.

The wealthy India-born Gupta family have been accused of “state capture” – using their friendship with President Zuma to wield enormous political influence for their business interests.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny the allegations made against them.

Mr Zuma is under pressure to resign, in part because of links to the Guptas.

He is expected to respond later today to a formal request from the African National Congress (ANC) to step down. He was replaced as the party’s leader in December but remains in power.

The Hawks, South Africa’s priority crime unit, confirmed they were searching the walled compound near Johannesburg zoo on Wednesday morning. BBC</s>Image copyright South African Presidency Image caption Atul Gupta (centre) shakes hands with President Jacob Zuma (right) in 2012. Their relationship has come under scrutiny in recent years

South Africa's elite police unit has raided the home of a controversial business family linked to President Jacob Zuma, as pressure increases on him to stand down.

Officials say three people were arrested as part of an investigation into the wealthy, Indian-born Guptas.

They have been accused of using their close friendship with Mr Zuma to wield enormous political influence.

Meanwhile, Mr Zuma's party has given him until the end of the day to resign.

His links to the Guptas are one of the reasons he is being forced to resign before the 2019 general election.

The Guptas and Mr Zuma deny all allegations of wrongdoing.

Pressure has been slowly increasing on Mr Zuma to stand down in recent weeks. He was expected to respond to a formal request from the African National Congress (ANC) to step down at some point on Wednesday.

However, shortly after ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu announced that a motion of no-confidence in the president would be heard on Thursday, Mr Zuma appeared on television to say he was not prepared to stand down immediately as he had not be given good reasons as to why he should resign.

Analysis: Coincidence, or something more?

By Andrew Harding, BBC News, Johannesburg

The timing is remarkable… So why did South Africa's elite Hawks choose to move against the Guptas now? There are four possibilities:

1: This was a genuine coincidence.

The Hawks have, in recent weeks, begun to accelerate their investigation into alleged corruption at the Estina Dairy in Vrede [scroll down to read more on the allegations], with assets already seized, and prosecutions prepared, so perhaps, given the unpredictable way the political drama surrounding President Zuma is unfolding, this is just one of those serendipitous things.

2: The Hawks, with an eye on the news and the clear sense that President Zuma is losing power - and therefore any protection that the Guptas enjoyed as his friends is waning too - decided there was a risk members of the Indian-born family might flee the country.

3: The man who presumably authorised the move against the Guptas, the National Prosecuting Chief Sean Abrahams, saw the way the tide was turning against Mr Zuma (who appointed him). Mr Abrahams has been branded "Sean The Sheep" by South African media, following widespread claims that he has helped to protect Mr Zuma, the Guptas and others from corruption investigations.

Mr Abrahams, who denies the allegations, might be looking to curry favour with any new ANC-led administration.

4: Cyril Ramaphosa, or those close to him, somehow influenced the police into launching the move in a deliberate attempt to put added pressure on President Zuma. His son, Duduzane, works for the Guptas and is being talked of as a possible target of the NPA's investigations.

This would be an illegal move, but one that many South Africans now see as entirely possible, given the apparent politicisation of the justice system and the erosion of key institutions during the Zuma era.

Why was the Gupta's house raided?

According to a statement released by the Hawks - the police's elite high-priority crimes unit - the raids were carried out in connection with the Vrede farm investigation.

Three people were arrested during the raid, with two more expected to hand themselves in. According to local media, one of those arrested was a Gupta family member.

That investigation relates to the Estina dairy farm near Vrede, in the Free State, a project which was originally meant to help poor black farmers but from which the Gupta family are alleged to have pocketed millions of dollars, allegations they deny.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The family's walled Johannesburg compound was subject to an early morning search by elite police

A tranche of leaked emails released last year alleged that some of the money ended up paying for the family's lavish wedding at Sun City, South Africa's upmarket holiday resort.

In January, the Hawks raided the offices of the Free State Premier, Ace Magashule, looking for documents linked to the project. Mr Magashule was elected secretary-general of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December.

Just who are the Gupta family?

The embattled Gupta family own a range of business interests in South Africa, including computing, mining, air travel, energy, technology and media.

The three brothers, Atul, Rajesh and Ajay, moved to the country in 1993 from India, just as white-minority rule was ending.

They are known friends of President Zuma - and his son, daughter and one of the president's wives worked for the family's firms.

The brothers have been accused of wielding enormous political influence in South Africa, with critics alleging that they have tried to "capture the state" to advance their own business interests.

What are the other allegations against the Guptas?

Former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas made a public allegation in 2016 that he was offered 600m rand ($50m; £36m) by the Gupta family to be the next finance minister - as long as he did their bidding.

It was followed by a damning report by a South African government ombudsman that accused the Guptas and President Zuma of colluding to win government contracts.

The public backlash worsened in 2017 when more than 100,000 emails were leaked which appeared to show the extent of the family's influence.

It suggested a complex web of government contracts, as well as alleged kickbacks and money laundering.

It prompted marches and public protests against the family and President Zuma, dubbed the "Zuptas".</s>Zuma is gone, a Gupta is arrested by the Hawks

Zuma is gone, a Gupta is arrested by the Hawks

Zuma is gone, a Gupta is arrested by the Hawks

The reign of Jacob Zuma came to a dramatic end last night when he formally resigned as President of South Africa.

“I do not fear exiting political office. However, I have only asked my party to articulate my transgressions and the reason for its immediate instruction that I vacate office,” he said in a late-night address to the nation.

Zuma barely made the 48-hour deadline set by the ANC for him to resign, taking to the podium at the Union Buildings in Pretoria for the last time as head of state late on Wednesday night.

It was a more diplomatic Zuma on stage compared to the angry and revengeful man who was interviewed by the SABC earlier in the day.

During the interview, he had rebuked the party’s top six, including party president Cyril Ramaphosa and described the decision to recall him as “baseless and without fact”. Zuma accused the party leaders of failing to give him reasons for why he should step down.

Meanwhile, five people were arrested during Hawks raids on various Gupta compounds and will appear in the Bloemfontein Regional Court today, Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed.

The suspects were arrested in connection with investigations into the Free State Vrede dairy farm project, Mulaudzi said.

One Gupta brother and a business associate are among those arrested.</s>JOHANNESBURG, Feb 14 (Reuters) - South African police are expected to arrest between five and seven more people as part of raids related to a corruption investigation involving the Gupta family, friends of President Jacob Zuma, a senior judicial source said on Wednesday.

The source, who has knowledge of the police’s moves and intentions, told Reuters there were no plans as yet to arrest cabinet ministers who have been linked in the media to the Guptas. Zuma and the Guptas have denied any wrongdoing. (Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by James Macharia)</s>Two people have been arrested in a raid on the home of the controversial Gupta family in South Africa as part of a government influencing investigation.

The wealthy India-born Gupta family have been accused of "state capture" - using their friendship with President Zuma to wield enormous political influence for their business interests.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny the allegations made against them.

Mr Zuma is under pressure to resign, in part because of links to the Guptas.

He is expected to respond later today to a formal request from the African National Congress (ANC) to step down.

The Hawks, South Africa's priority crime unit, confirmed they were searching the Gupta's walled compound near Johannesburg zoo on Wednesday morning.

Local media say that one of the three Gupta brothers has been arrested but the BBC has so far been unable to confirm this.

Why is President Zuma under pressure?

The scandal-hit leader has been in power since 2009, but has been dogged by corruption allegations.

Mr Zuma was replaced as the party's leader in December by his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, but has so far resisted calls to resign.

An official has said the 75-year-old was willing to stand down in the next three to six months, but top leadership want him to withdraw from power immediately.

Who are the Gupta family?

The embattled Gupta family own a range of business interests in South Africa, including computing, mining, air travel, energy, technology and media.

The three brothers, Atul, Rajesh and Ajay, moved to the country in 1993 from India, just as white-minority rule was ending.

They are known friends of President Zuma - and his son, daughter and one of the president's wives worked for the family's firms.

The brothers have been accused of wielding enormous political influence in South Africa, with critics alleging that they have tried to "capture the state" to advance their own business interests.
• Who are the Guptas?

What is the scandal between the family and the president?

Former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas made a public allegation in 2016 that he was offered 600m Rand ($50m; £36m) by the Gupta family to be the next finance minister - as long as he did their bidding.

It was followed by a damning report by a South African government ombudsman that accused the Guptas and President Zuma of colluding to win government contracts.

The public backlash worsened in 2017 when more than 100,000 emails were leaked which appeared to show the extent the family had exerted their influence.

It suggested a complex web of government contracts, as well as alleged kickbacks and money laundering.

It prompted marches and public protests against the family and President Zuma, dubbed the "Zuptas".</s>JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African elite police unit Hawks sealed off roads around the home of businessmen friends of President Jacob Zuma, a Reuters witness said.

The Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi was not immediately available for comment, but the state broadcaster quoted him as saying the police were there as part of a raid.

The Guptas are accused by the anti-graft watchdog of using the friendship with Zuma to amass wealth. Both deny any wrong doing. Zuma was asked by the ruling African National Congress to step down as head of state this week.
The residence of the Gupta family is raided by the South African Police Service's elite Hawks unit and three people are arrested.