What started as a tiny band of protesters outside the Gupta family's estate in Johannesburg on Friday morning has grown into large, lively crowd of picketers.

As struggle songs resonated outside the infamous family's upmarket estate in the leafy suburb of Saxonwold, posters demanding the resignation of President Jacob Zuma were the order of the day.

Police at the scene cordoned off the road, a police helicopter circled above the estate, and at least 20 police officers and private security guards kept a close watch on the more than 100 people gathered in front of the compound's main entrance.

Charles Ngubane, one of the protesters, said the Guptas are to blame for much of what has gone wrong in South Africa during Zuma's tenure as president.

"They (the Guptas) tell Zuma who he must appoint, and then those ministers steal our money for the Guptas," said Ngubane. It was not clear whether any members of the Gupta family were inside the estate.

The Guptas have come under fire in recent months following allegations that they've "captured" Zuma’s government, and that they benefit irregularly from government contracts.

Meanwhile, a handful of Black First Land First (BLF) members have arrived outside the Gupta compound and are facing off with anti-Zuma supporters. They are holding placards saying: "WMC (White Monopoly Capital) Puppets" and "Hands off Zuma".