Cape Town — Former Free State Premier, Ace Magashule, will have to wait 10 months until April 2025 to hear the outcome of his asbestos tender matter.
Magashule made a brief appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court and the court informed him that the prosecution and the state agreed that the the trial will be postponed until a suitable date was chosen, and the trial has now been postponed until 15 April 2025, The Citizen reported.
Magashule’s charges are related to a R255 million asbestos contract that the Free State Department of Human Settlements awarded to the Blackhead Consulting joint venture six years ago. Magashule is among multiple members of the Free State administration who will be in the dock.
“Together with Nthimotse Mokhesi, Mahlomola Matlakala, Sello Radebe, Kgotso Manyeki, Sarah Mlamleli, Nozipho Molikoe, Albertus Venter, Moroadi Cholota, Margaret-Ann Deidericks, and three other companies, 602 Consulting Solutions, Mastertrade 232 and Ori Group, with fraud, corruption, money laundering and the contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA),” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Free State spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said.
As the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein scheduled his “asbestos scam” trial for April 2025, Ace Magashule strongly refuted a draft forensic report’s claims that his son obtained a Free State government bursary to study in the US.
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Magashule’s former Personal Assistant, Moroadi Cholota, is a key factor in the trial and is facing extradition from the United States. Senokotsane said the extradition process of brnging Colota back from the USA was ongoing and it might take up to two months for the Attorney General to sign off on the process.
According to SABC News, Magashule believes the delays in the case are deliberate and are wasting state resources.
“Almost five years [of] wasting time, money, resources and everything. But because we want to see justice happening, we want to know who is corrupt [and] who is not corrupt. In April, I am happy that the truth will come out, South Africans will know who is corrupt … who is not corrupt.” he said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
