How South Africa Is Cleaning House After Zuma’s Eviction

Even before South African President Jacob Zuma quit under pressure on Feb. 14, having dragged the country through a succession of graft scandals during his almost nine-year tenure, prosecutors were already going after people in his circle. Among the most damning allegations leveled against Zuma during his time in office was that he allowed the Gupta family -- whose members are his friends and business partners of his son, Duduzane -- to influence cabinet appointments and loot billions of rand from state coffers.

The three brothers -- Ajay, Atul and Rajesh -- became so enmeshed in national politics under Zuma that their families and associates were collectively known as the Zuptas. The brothers arrived in South Africa from India in the early 1990s as apartheid rule was drawing to a close. Starting with a small technology company, they built up a business empire, with interests ranging from newspapers and cable television to uranium and coal mines. They set up a sprawling compound in Johannesburg’s upmarket Saxonwold suburb, bought a fleet of luxury cars and threw lavish parties. Their public notoriety dates back to 2013, when they landed an aircraft at a high-security air-force base to ferry private guests to an opulent, four-day family wedding. In February, police raided their compound, while immigration officials descended on the offices of one of the media assets they used to own.