2 months after extradition granted, Ace Magashule’s personal assistant to land in SA

Ace Magashule’s former personal assistant Moroadi Cholota is expected to land in South Africa on Thursday afternoon after being successfully extradited from the US.

National South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that Cholota will arrive in the country on Thursday.

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She is being escorted by the SAPS Interpol extradition unit.

Mathe said police would provide an update later today.

Cholota’s extradition process began over two years ago.

She was arrested in April this year and appeared in a US court.

Her extradition was granted on June 7, 2024 by the United States Districts Court.

According to papers seen by the publication, Cholota was arrested on April 12, 2024 and appeared in court three days later.

They said that South African authorities had charged her with four counts of fraud and five counts of corruption.

In their ruling, two judges said that the evidence brought before the court was sufficient to justify Cholota’s commitment for trial.

Magashule, a former ANC secretary-general, is facing 21 counts of fraud, money laundering and corruption relating to a R255 million asbestos contract in 2014.

Cholota worked as his assistant during his tenure as the Premier of the Free State.

Following Magashule’s arrest, Cholota was supposed to be a State witness in the trial, but apparently backtracked, and will now face the same charges.

The State alleges that fraud to the value of R255 million was committed in the appointment of two companies, one from Gauteng, Blackhead Consultants, in 2014, as service provider to the Department of Human Settlements in the Free State for the assessment and removal of asbestos roofs and/or housing, IOL reported.

“The two companies sub-contracted two other separate companies, of which one allegedly did the work for only R21 million,” NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said in 2020.

“An amount of R230 million was paid to the initial contracting company, and Edwin Sodi, the director of the company, Blackhead Consultants, who is still attempting to secure in court the ’remaining’ payment of the rest of the money, which is R25 million,” said Ngwema.

Cholota also appeared before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

Ace Magashule in high spirits following expulsion from ANC

Former African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Ace Magashule says he will have a media briefing next week to discuss his expulsion from the party. Speaking to SABC News on Monday evening he reiterates that it is well with his soul.

The party’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) announced his expulsion, after he missed the deadline on Sunday – to give reasons why the party should not expel him.

Magashule had faced charges of misconduct and bringing the party into disrepute for the unsanctioned suspension of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and a subsequent failure to apologise, even after being instructed to do so by the party.

“For now it’s well with my soul. For now I’m still jumping like a tennis ball, running like a cheetah and floating like a butterfly. I’m very well,” Magashule says.

Ace Magashule’s case postponed

Suspended ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule and his co-accused have made a brief appearance in the High Court in Bloemfontein.

They face over 70 counts of corruption, fraud, and money laundering linked to a 2015 asbestos tender amounting to R255 million.

Magashule insists he is innocent and the charges are a political ploy to tarnish his image.

Ace Magashule says charges are trumped up

Pre-trial proceedings in the multi-million rand asbestos corruption case against Ace Magashule and his co-accused have been postponed to 10 June.

The suspended ANC Secretary-General insists charges against him are nothing but a political ploy to tarnish his image.

Magashule and three others have filed an application to have the charges against them withdrawn.

Magashule faces charges of money laundering, theft, and corruption relating to an R250-million asbestos project in the Free State.

New Twist: Ace Magashule has the right to suspend President Ramaphosa

The embattled leader wants his suspension declared unlawful and invalid and he’s also asking the High Court to uphold his suspension of Cyril Ramaphosa over allegations of vote-buying through the CR17 campaign.

Suspended African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Ace Magashule insists that only he has the right to suspend party leaders.

Magashule, who was placed on suspension in May and was now challenging the sanction, has now filed his responding affidavit following those filed by his deputy, Jessie Duarte and party president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

He also insisted that the suspension letter he issued against Ramaphosa, which was backdated and was said to have been issued without any discussions in the ANC national executive committee (NEC), was legitimate and could only be set aside by a court of law.

The embattled leader wants his suspension declared unlawful and invalid and he’s also asking the High Court to uphold his suspension of Ramaphosa over allegations of vote-buying through the CR17 campaign.

His party has reacted to these issues making it to court, saying that Magashule should know how the organisation functioned by now.

Magashule is certain about the authority given to him through his office and the ANC’s constitution.

This was an argument often made in his 132-page responding affidavit, where he said that the two respondents in the matter did not understand the basis of his application to the court.

Magashule placed national executive committee discussions under the spotlight, even seemingly wanting utterances of ANC leaders on issues such as factionalism to be considered – these conversations found their way into the public domain last month through leaked audio recordings.

And while he said that he had no issue with actually being placed on suspension, he questioned the national working committee (NWC)’s role in the sanction as opposed to that of the NEC.

Magashule complains that rule 25.70, which was used to oust him, was inconsistent with the ANC and the country’s Constitution.

He said that there were more resolutions that had not been implemented in pursuit of the step aside rule and he argues this was all down to factional interests.

Magashule’s case was set for 24 and 25 of June.

Ace Magashule shows President Ramaphosa middle finger: “I’ll never apologise to you”

Embattled suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has shown the party’s second-highest decision-making body, the national executive committee, and President Cyril Ramaphosa the middle finger and vowed: “I won’t apologise”.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday displayed his resoluteness for all to see who is boss by giving Magashule his marching orders and telling him to apologise. Backed by a strong endorsement from the party’s top brass national executive committee (NEC), Ramaphosa told Magashule to stay at home and apologise publicly for undermining him with an unwarranted suspension.

But an adamant Magashule vowed he would not apologise to anyone and he would proceed with legal action to challenge his suspension by the ANC.

A reliable source close to Magashule, who said he met him soon after Ramaphosa made the announcement, said the secretary-general would pursue legal action and nothing would stop him from speaking publicly, or doing what he wanted to do.

“The secretary-general has appealed the suspension, he will proceed with legal action. But he will not apologise because he is convinced of the position he has taken,” the source said. Ramaphosa, in post-NEC closing remarks, said the letter Magashule wrote to suspend him was seen by the NEC as “not authorised”, “not mandated” by any structure of the movement and in flagrant violation of ANC rules, norms and the constitution. The NEC stopped short of hauling him before a disciplinary committee for putting the party into disrepute.

Instead, he was ordered to make a public apology to party structures and members.

Whether he will do this remains to be seen.

The sidelined secretary-general is left with two choices: to accept the party’s censure and humble himself to Ramaphosa, or defy and face disciplinary action that could see him being expelled.

A clear sign that the ANC wanted to see the back of Magashule was its appointment of deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte to take over Magashule’s duties as secretary-general until his criminal trial was concluded.

Ramaphosa indicated that Duarte was abused by Magashule’s supporters at Luthuli House. He condemned the “unwarranted attacks” and “insults” by staff at Luthuli House for carrying out a duty she was asked to do by the NEC, national working committee and senior ANC officials.

The NEC’s decision ended speculation the ANC could ditch its step-aside rule in a bow to pressure from Magashule’s supporters in the NEC and outside the party.

However, the governing party will still go on a lekgotla to discuss strategies to strengthen its renewal and unity project as suggested by former party president Thabo Mbeki. But all this will happen without Magashule.

Magashule’s supporters pushed for the lekgotla in the hope it would accompany the shelving of the step-aside rule and withdrawal of the suspensions of Magashule, ANC MP Bongani Bongo and others. The NEC did not entertain Magashule’s ally, Dakota Legoete, and some branches in eThekwini and North West, which called for a special elective conference.

Ace Magashule now in hot soup after suspending President Ramaphosa (WATCH VIDEO)

Suspended ANC secretary general Ace Magashule has suffered yet another blow, as top officials in the ruling party want him to apologise for serving President Cyril Ramaphosa with a suspension letter, allegedly without any authority to do so.

The order was announced by Ramaphosa on Monday, when he spelt out the outcome of the party’s three-day special national executive committee (NEC) meeting.

Ramaphosa, who spoke on a virtual platform, said the ANC NEC – the highest decision making body of the party within conferences – has given Magashule a certain time frame within which to apologise and, if he fails to do so, the NEC would institute disciplinary charges against him.

The pending penalty against Magashule followed the shocking events of last week, a few days after the ANC decided to place him on suspension.

He was served with a suspension letter on May 3, signed off by ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte.

In the letter, Duarte stipulated all the conditions which Magashule was supposed to adhere to, or face penalties.

Magashule was ordered not to carry out the duties and responsibilities of his office as secretary-general of the ANC.

Despite his conditional suspension, on May 5 Magashule wrote a suspension letter to Ramaphosa saying: “I have also, in accordance with the powers invested in me as the secretary of the ANC, and in full compliance with the relevant conference resolutions, summarily suspended the president of the ANC, comrade Cyril Ramaphosa.

“This is done in terms of Resolution 8.2 of the 54th ANC national conference, which states that ‘every cadre accused of, or reported to be involved in, corrupt practices accounts to the ANC integrity committee immediately, or faces disciplinary processes.”

He also lifted his suspension, but was barred from the ANC NEC meeting on Saturday, when he tried to be part of it.

ANC NEC member Bongani Bongo also suffered the same fate.

– IOL

Both are facing criminal charges of fraud and corruption in the Bloemfontein and Nelspruit Magistrate’s Courts, respectively.

As for Magashule, he has yet to give details on whether he would apologise to Ramaphosa for the “suspension letter”, which has since been rejected by the NEC.

The ANC, however, did not give details of the time frames.

Ramaphosa also confirmed that Magashule and Bongo remain suspended. Duarte will take over as ANC secretary-general.

Other provincial officials implicated in corruption, fraud, and other serious criminal offences, were also ordered to step aside from their executive positions, with immediate effect.

Ace Magashule to attend national executive committee (NEC) meeting as the ANC secretary-general

Magashule said he remains the ANC secretary-general and has assured branches that he is going nowhere.

Ace Magashule has defied his suspension and promised to attend the weekend’s crucial national executive committee (NEC) meeting.

Speaking exclusively to the SABC, Magashule reiterated his claim that he has appealed his suspension.

Magashule said he remains the ANC secretary-general and has assured branches that he is going nowhere.

“There are processes which one will argue when I appear before the appeals body. The NEC has been conflicted in this matter. They have been the judge, prosecutor, investigator and jury.

“You can’t be charged, like it is a kangaroo court. The step-aside resolution is designed to remove Bongani Bongo and me. We have collected many names (of those who are implicated),” he said.

Magashule claimed that he was a disciplined member, who had fought against apartheid.

I haven’t done anything wrong. There are no processes that were followed. I am attending the NEC meeting this weekend. I am also attending the officials meeting before the NEC.

“We all have rights as South Africans. We are accorded the same rights by the Constitution of the country and that of the ANC.”

Magashule said he has written to the NPA, to ask them to reveal what criminal charges he faces.

“I am a simple, humble leader of the ANC. I am going to die in the ANC. Some people think they are ANC. I will never allow people to take the ANC away from me.

“I joined the movement voluntarily. I won’t be the first to be removed,” Magashule said.

ANC’s Ace Magashule expected to hand himself to Hawks and appear in court today

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule will face charges relating to the multi-million rand asbestos project.

Amid calls for calm, a night vigil and unfounded claims of a political plot against the African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general, Ace Magashule is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Friday morning.

Magashule will face charges relating to the multi-million rand asbestos project.
R255 million was paid out in a tender to remove asbestos from the roofs on houses while Magashule was Premier.

Magashule is accused of scoring up to R10 million from the failed project.

The Hawks issued a warrant of arrest for Magashule earlier this week.

The elite crime-fighting unit said that he was expected to hand himself over at their Bloemfontein office.

Following that, Magashule is expected to appear in the local magistrates court where he will be formally charged.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said that no one was above the law.

A group of protesters in the provincial ANC want Magashule to account for his actions. Kelebogile Wesi is among them: “We are happy that justice is eventually taking place. Ace will have his time in court as he’s always declared that he is willing.”

Magashule said he would cooperate with the police insisting, that he had done nothing wrong.

At the same time, his supporters, including Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwamdile Masina, have said that they would be here to support their leader.

Warrant of arrest issued for ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule

The fight against corruption has taken another giant leap as a warrant of arrest was issued for ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is moving to arrest ANC bigwigs as a campaign against corruption hots up.
According to Independent Media, Magashule has also confirmed knowledge of his intended arrest after questions were sent to him in the evening on Tuesday.
SABC News has also confirmed Magashule is facing arrest, despite some reports suggesting the Hawks denied to have issued such a warrant.

SABC Tweeted

Reliable sources have told SABC News that ANC Secretary-General, Ace Magashule has been issued with a warrant of arrest over his alleged involvement in the Vrede Dairy Farm Project.

The issuing of a warrant of arrest was disputed by Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi who said they have not issued such a warrant.

Magashule is reported to have confirmed and said he is aware of an intention to arrest him:

“I’m aware. I’m aware,“ he said. ’’It’s going to be a Hollywood style type of thing. But we will see.”

Another report is indicating Magashule is in consultation with either President or his legal team about the authenticity and legality of the warrant.

The ANC bigwig will be arrested for his involvement in the Vrede Dairy Farm project.

Magashule is accused of turning a blind eye during investigations and he will be charged with ’’failure to exercise oversight.’

Ace Magashule was the Free State premier when money meant to empower small farmers was released but did not reach the intended beneficiaries.

Sources that told Independent Media reveals that the ANC Secretary-General is part of a drawn-up list off high profile arrests that will take place this month.

Magashule did not commend on the intended arrest of his colleagues in the ANC.

Asked for a comment, Magashule responded, “I can’t talk of others. But we will see before putting the phone down.”

The National Prosecuting Authority is still to respond to questions sent to them.

More than R756m was paid to a dodgy company named in the Free State Vrede Dairy Farm corruption scandal, some of the money paid as bribery.