Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan has said the sooner the Guptas get out of South Africa, the better for the country.

He was speaking at the Congress of Business and Economics dinner on Saturday, where they were paying tribute to heroes who have created a legacy that will benefit South Africa.

"…To the Gupta family, you don’t represent who we are. You don’t reflect what our ethos and our principles are. In fact, the sooner you get out of South Africa, the better for all of us," he said to a round of applause.

Yusuf Moosajee, secretary-general of the Congress of Business and Economics said Gordhan was among ten recipients who were honoured with the Ahmed Kathrada excellence in leadership award.

It was during his acceptance speech that Gordhan made the comments about the Guptas.

The Gupta family has been at the centre of a number of corruption scandals.

News24 previously reported on allegations of State capture contained in the leaked Gupta emails.

Gordhan said: "There’s a lot more work to do, the guys who have enjoyed power and privilege and opportunities that they created for themselves to steal public funds…are not gonna give up their positions easily, so we are gonna require massive pressure and extraordinary activism…"

"I hope that you will join the many organisations that are very strongly expressing their views, but also mobilising people to...express their opposition to what is going [on]," he said.

The gala dinner was attended by 450 guests.

The other recipients included Cas Coovadia, managing director of the Banking Association of South Africa, former minister of tourism Derek Hanekom, former African National Congress MP Dr Makhosi Khoza, former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas, Save South Africa convenor Sipho Pityana, South African Communist Party first deputy secretary general Solly Mapaila, former public protector Thuli Madonsela, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse's Wayne Duvenage and former Constitutional Court Justice Zak Yacoob.