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Olly Mlamleli is said to have been arrested in connection with a Free State tender.
- ANC officials in the Free State are locked in marathon meetings about the fate of their arrested party leaders.
- One of those leaders includes the ousted mayor of Mangaung metro, Olly Mlamleli, who is said to be implicated.
- Mlameli is believed to be among Ace Magashule’s key allies.
The future of the ousted Mangaung Metro mayor Olly Mlamleli is at stake, as ANC officials in the Free State have been in talks after her arrest on Wednesday.
News24 reported that Mlamleli was arrested Wednesday morning and taken to the Bainsvlei Police Station in Bloemfontein.
News24 understood that the arrests were related to the controversial asbestos contract, for which Mlamleli was singled out during her tenure as MEC.
Province officials called an urgent meeting following the arrests of Mlameli and other high-profile individuals in the province.
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One insider said officials were stuck on whether or not to implement the resolutions of the ANC’s national executive committee, which instructed everyone involved in wrongdoing to step aside; “or follow the party constitution and the law that everyone is innocent until proven otherwise.”
“There is a strong push for the matter to drift [the] provincial working committee that will meet on Monday. At this point, no one is willing to throw the ax, “said a party member in the provincial executive committee (PEC).
Very powerful
Another insider said that Mlameleli, a PEC member with close ties to ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule, was still very powerful in the province.
“She has support and backing from Comrade Ace. That surely tells you why this meeting has lasted two days and no decision has been made yet. It will be difficult for anyone to demand her resignation. It is not like in KwaZulu-Natal , where Comrade Zandile’s power and national support are waning. This province is still largely controlled by one faction or one side of the ANC. It will be a difficult decision to make, “said the party leader.
READ | Free State Asbestos Case Ousted Mangaung Mayor Among Those Arrested
Free State ANC spokesman Thabo Meeko said News24 officials at the meeting were still monitoring the situation as it unfolded. He said there were several cases to discuss, including Mlamleli’s fate.
He said:
“Officials are studying the process to implement the ANC’s code of conduct and the NEC’s decision that suspected corruption must resign. However, all of this must be guided by the constitution. We cannot ignore the law of the country and the ANC constitution that says innocent until proven otherwise. ”
Mlamleli is expected to appear in court on Friday.
In May, Magashule and Mlameli were implicated in a damning report by the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
It has failed
The report ruled that the province did not follow proper procurement procedures when awarding the R200 million contract, and that the provincial department participated in an expired contract from the Gauteng human settlements department and did not conduct a due diligence investigation before engaging in contract.
Mkhwebane noted that the province was in possession of the Gauteng department’s Service Level Agreement, which had expired, but was ahead of time to pay the service provider R139 million.
This, despite the fact that the Auditor General declared that the hiring was irregular as early as July 2015.
In addition, he noted that the department did not receive good value for money and that the service provider had outsourced the contract at a fee of just over 21 million rand, while the service provider was left with 30 million rand.
EXPLANATOR | What You Need To Know About The Free State Asbestos Deal
The controversial agreement was signed during Magashule and Mlamleli’s time as Prime Minister of the Free State and Human Settlements MEC, respectively.
In a statement, the SACP said the arrests of key politicians and businessmen were a key indicator that the country had entered the dawn of the era of accountability.
First, more arrests must follow. Second, there must be a successful prosecution. Third, the culprits must be sentenced to severe prison terms. Fourth, assets acquired through corrupt conduct, fraud, and other forms of wrongdoing must be seized through asset forfeiture processes.
“All avenues, national and international, must be exhausted to recover public resources lost by state capture and other forms of corrupt conduct,” said SACP spokesman Alex Mashilo.
