Suspended ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule returned to the Free State High Court, on Tuesday, to appear for his asbestos fraud case.
Ace Magashule asbestos case postponed
The disgraced ANC leader, who’s last public appearance was at former president Jacob Zuma’s ‘national prayer’, appeared in court next to co-accused businessman Edwin Sodi, Olly Mlamleli who is the ex-Manguang mayor and former human settlements director Nthimotse Mokhesi.
As reported by News24, proceedings in the asbestos matter were brief. Magashule’s defence informed the court that at this juncture, it is still dealing with the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) merits of the case, particularly those it is not disputing.
The SG’s legal team also lodged an appeal for the State to unseal the list of witnesses who implicated Magashule in the asbestos scam.
However, it’s reported that the State did not bite the bullet. Instead, State advocate Johan de Nysschen informed the court that the full witness list would be furnished to the defence closer to trial.
Part of the reason behind this, the State attorney revealed, was to open up the possibility of adding more witnesses, if the need presented itself. Moreover, Magashule’s access to the witness list may pose a threat to the lives of the whistleblowers.
The matter has since been postponed for pre-trial hearings which are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 3 November 2021.
The tender that got Magashule in hot water
Magashule and others stand accused of participating in theft, graft and money laundering involving an asbestos project that cost the public purse R255 million.
Two shell companies were formed in 2014 to stand favourite to win a tender for the assessment and removal of asbestos from houses in the Free State.
However, this large amount of money went missing without any work commissioned on the asbestos. According to the State, Magashule’s alleged benefit from the tender scam was school tuition for his daughter, an undisclosed number of tablet devices and R250 000 in travel expenses for an unapproved delegation trip to Cuba.
The SG has, since the charged were lodged against him, vehemently pleaded innocent.