A corruption investigation expected to contain damning allegations against South African President Jacob Zuma will not be published on Friday, as planned.

Thuli Mandonsela, who has hounded Mr Zuma in her seven years as anti-corruption tsar, told Reuters that legal action was behind the delay.

Mr Zuma applied for a court order to ban the publication on Thursday.

The report addresses allegations that a wealthy Indian-born business family has had undue influence on his government.

The Guptas have been accused of dismissing and appointing ministers, a form of corruption referred to in South Africa as “state capture”.

The family strongly denies all the allegations, as has the president.

Ms Madonsela had been planning to release the findings on Friday, her last day in her role as public protector.

Critics of Ms Madonsela claims she has exceeded her powers and is on a mission to try to topple President Zuma but she maintains she’s just doing her job.

In a previous report, she found that Mr Zuma had “unduly benefitted” from the use of taxpayers’ money to build a cattle enclosure, amphitheatre, swimming pool, visitor centre and chicken run at his home in Nkandla.

Last month, he repaid about $500,000 of the $23m total cost of these upgrades.

In March, the Supreme Court found he had breached the constitution by not paying back this money.

Source: BBC