The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State says it will hold law enforcement agencies accountable if anything untoward happens on Wednesday when the asbestos corruption case is heard at the High Court in Bloemfontein.
Suspended ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule alongside other accused and five companies, will face charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering.
The charges relate to the alleged irregular awarding of the R255-million asbestos roof removal contract. The DA met with Premier Sisi Ntombela, other political parties and law enforcement agencies on preparations ahead of the accused’s court appearance.
Free State DA leader Roy Jankielson says the police presentation did not recognise the serious political threats and the role of politicians in instigating protests in the province.
“During this presentation, the SAPS and the premier indicated that they have the necessary intelligence and measures to ensure that no acts of violence will escalate into the similar types of events that we saw in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng especially given the fact that former premier, Ace Magashule will be appearing in court on charges of corruption. The DA will continue to monitor the situation and hold the premier and law enforcement agencies accountable for any incidents that may occur in the Free State.”
Magashule’s ANC suspension case
In early July, the high court in Johannesburg dismissed Magashule’s application to overturn his suspension from the governing ANC.
The Johannesburg court ruled that his two months suspension was lawful and valid.
It also rejected Magashule’s suspension of ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa in a letter that was written to him on May 3. It found that the grounds on which Magashule sought to suspend Ramaphosa were not aligned to the requirements.
In a statement, Magashule described the ruling as incorrect. He said he will continue his bid to have the ANC’s step-aside rule and the clause in the party’s constitution used to suspend him declared unlawful and unconstitutional.
The ANC SG is among ANC leaders who were required to step-aside until criminal cases against them are finalised. When he didn’t temporarily vacate his office within the stipulated period, he was suspended.
