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By Zintle Mahlati 
1 hour ago
Johannesburg – ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule received a 200,000 rand bail from the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Friday.
Magashule appeared in Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering related to a bid for a R255 million Free State asbestos audit project.
The State did not object to the bail and asked Magashule to hand over his passport, which he has, and was warned not to interfere with the State’s witnesses.
The National Prosecutor’s Office (NPA) also requested that bail be set at R250,000 due to the seriousness of the charges.
The magistrate agreed to the request, but reduced the bail fee to R200,000, as Magashule said he could not afford it as his salary as secretary general of the ANC was only R133,000.
He also told the court that he had R700,000 in movable property and not movable property in his name.
The magistrate said his decision to allow Magashule out on bail was that he was convinced it was not a flight risk and would not interfere with witnesses.
He reiterated that his decision was not based on agreements between the State and Magashule’s lawyers.
Magashule’s next appearance will be on February 19, 2021, where he will appear with his other co-defendants, including businessman Edwin Sodi.
The State said the Free State asbestos case would be finalized soon and that it would likely move to Superior Court.
Magashule representative Lawrence Hodes SC said his client denied the charges against him and never profited from corruption.
The R255 million Free State asbestos contract was reported during the Zondo commission.
Sodi’s Blackhead Consulting company and its joint venture partner Diamond Hill, owned by the late businessman Ignatious Mpambani, were awarded the contract in 2014.
In evidence presented to the commission, it was revealed that the contract was subcontracted twice and the final company that performed the asbestos audit did so for just over 20 million rand.
Magashule was implicated in the deal, and his former personal assistant faced questions in the investigation into requests for payments he made to Mpambani on Magashule’s behalf.
The former assistant, Moroadi Cholota, has been confirmed as a State witness.
It is unclear whether Magashule will address his hundreds of supporters who had been marching out of court since Thursday night.
Political Bureau
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