Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has for the first time made a direct link between the controversial Gupta family and President Jacob Zuma's recent cabinet reshuffle.

He also called for a commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture. He said former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas was probably fired for refusing the alleged Gupta offer of the finance minister's position and a R600-million bribe.

Speaking at a Chris Hani memorial lecture in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, yesterday, Ramaphosa did not hold back as he laid into Zuma, saying that allegations of state capture must be thoroughly probed.

"The allegations are so plentiful. that there are private individuals who exercise undue influence over state appointments - and procurement should be a matter of great concern to our movement.

"One time I went to greet an old man and he said to me: 'I won't call you deputy president I will call you president'. I said: 'Yoh if you do that you will cause the same fate that befell Mcebisi to fall on me too'. Mcebisi was offered the position of the minister of finance and they even offered him money and he refused. He said 'I don't want this position' and correctly so. Today he is without a job. It's possible he was fired for that. so I told the old man: 'Don't put me in that position, I might also be fired'," said Ramaphosa to loud applause from the capacity crowd.

Jonas has publicly accused the Gupta family of offering him the finance minister's position and R600-million.

In what was arguably his most outspoken speech since assuming the deputy presidency of the ANC in 2012, Ramaphosa said there was an "an elephant in the room" which no one wants to talk about openly.

". These practices where you have a sense that decisions are taken elsewhere threaten the integrity of the state. They undermine our economic progress and diminish our ability to change the lives of our people. these activities threaten . our movement and our unity. They simply destroy trust.

"It is therefore critical that the allegations of state capture should be put to rest because we talk about it quietly. We know that there's an elephant in the room but we don't want to talk about this elephant .

"The ANC should support the establishment of a credible mechanism to investigate these claims and a judicial commission of inquiry has been suggested. I support [that]. It is possibly the only process that will get to the bottom of these allegations and determine their truthfulness or lack thereof. We need that process so that we stop gossiping."

It was clear yesterday's event was the unofficial launch of Ramaphosa's presidential campaign. He said the ANC elective conference in December will be a "make or break" event for the party - adding that its outcome will determine whether the party emerges united or as a shell of its former self. He said patronage politics had captured the soul of the ANC.

"The problem in the ANC is money... money has come between us. Today there is money that is being passed around in black bags and brown envelopes," he charged. "As we are leading to the conference money has started being a currency of buying favour and votes, that is already happening."

Ramaphosa praised Jonas, who sat next to him, for refusing to be corrupted, although that got him fired from cabinet.

Jonas also slated state capture . "We must guard against the robbery of the South African state by a few families. We are facing a coup right in front of our eyes," he said , adding that state capture went far deeper than was imagined.

ANC Youth League president Collen Maine said Ramaphosa's remarks were "baseless" . "It is quite factional for a leader to speak like this," he said. "It does not help the deputy president or the ANC." - additional reporting Ngwako Modjadji