The NPA has confirmed that it has received a letter from ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule’s lawyers seeking guarantees that should the prosecuting agency want to arrest him, he be informed and allowed to hand himself over.
Earlier this week, there were reports that Magashule would be arrested by the Hawks in connection with the Vrede dairy farm project in the Free State. However, his lawyers confirmed that no such arrest warrant was issued.
“As you would know that there is also a unit called the Investigating Directorate (ID) within the office of the National Prosecuting Authority, headed by Advocate Hermione Cronje. They have not responded and we have an instruction to engage with National Director of Public Prosecutions head, Advocate Shamila Batohi (and) Advocate Cronje as well as the Hawks to find out if this article has any truth into it,” his attorney Victor Nkwashu explained.
Hawks deny Magashule faces arrest:
Political analyst Lesiba Teffo says Magashule’s request seems to be a pre-emptive strike.
“It is not unusual for people to be invited to hand themselves in and perhaps, I think, it’s a pre-emptive strike on his part namely that ‘since there is so much about the possible arrest, just make it possible for me to hand myself in rather than to do this with the drama.’ That often goes with it. That his name is implicated in many ways, that’s what lends the possible thinking that says he could be arrested.”
Politics at play
Political analysts said last week that they believe if Magashule were to be arrested, it will most likely be a huge problem for the ANC.
Political Analyst Professor Somadoda Fikeni suggested that this may be a calculated move with political motives.
“What we are seeing as developments around the imminent arrest of the ANC SG Ace Magasule, as well as the denials around the NPA and Hawks that there’s such, might just be a very complex political play in which Ace Magasule might realise that the net around him is getting very small in a sense of people around him, especially around the Free State in many cases that Estina Dairy Farm and asbestos that he might ultimately be one of the people targeted. So, he might be pre-empting this by making sure that he alerts and mobilises politically and also tests waters as to how the reaction will be.”
Political Analyst Prince Mashele says Ace Magashule is playing the victim in order to mobilise his supporters:
