THE SOUTH AFRICAN Communist Party hit out at “state capture” by the wealthy Gupta family yesterday, putting itself at odds with trade unions and the ANC.

The SACP’s central committee endorsed comments made by second deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila last week criticising the decision to abandon a probe into allegations of undue influence by the Guptas over government.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe dropped the investigation after only one person was willing to make a submission. But the Communist Party’s post-committee statement said the ANC was “misguided” to “dismiss concern about corporate capture as if it were just a marginal issue.”

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Sdumo Dlamini accepted Mr Mantashe’s decision on Thursday, saying: “There was no evidence and the ANC cannot open an investigation forever.

“We are all alive to the threat. South Africa was captured long ago, it has long been captured,” he added.

“You must separate the Guptas to the whole notion on corporate capture, that is done by all monopolies and they do influence government one way or the other.”

Cosatu has attacked South Africa’s banking and corporate accounting sector for its co-ordinated boycott of Gupta firm Oakbay over the “state capture” allegations, putting 7,500 jobs at risk.

The Guptas also own the New Age newspaper, South Africa’s only pro-ANC media outlet.

The issue did not seem to affect support for the ANC on Saturday when President Jacob Zuma packed the 94,000-seat FNB stadium in Soweto for a local elections campaign rally.