Legal Status Profiles

Records

Ace Magashule

South African politician, former Premier of the Free State and former ANC Secretary-General, now leader of the African Congress for Transformation (ACT), who is on trial in the R255 million Free State asbestos audit tender case.

ChargedLatest source dated 2026-08-20Last reviewed 2026-10-26

What is Ace Magashule’s legal position?

Free State asbestos audit tender prosecution (R255m)

Charged

Current position. Magashule is an accused person awaiting the start of evidence in the Free State High Court; he has pleaded not guilty and the trial is set to resume on 18 January 2027.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Authority
Free State Division of the High Court, Bloemfontein (Judge Phillip Loubser); prosecuted by the NPA
Status date
2026-08-18

History

  1. 2020-11-13 Handed himself in and appeared in Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on 21 counts of corruption and fraud; granted R200,000 bail.
  2. 2023-05-02 Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed an application by Magashule, Edwin Sodi and Thabane Zulu for leave to appeal a 2022 High Court judgment (Judge Soma Naidoo) that had dismissed their challenge to the prosecution.
  3. 2025-04-16 Pleaded not guilty in the Free State High Court; listed as accused 13 of 18.
  4. 2025-06-03 Trial court upheld co-accused Moroadi Cholota's special plea on jurisdiction; trial postponed to January 2026.
  5. 2026-01-23 Constitutional Court ([2026] ZACC 03, CCT 190/25) upheld the State's appeal in the Cholota matter, finding the High Court erred in declining to exercise jurisdiction over her.
  6. 2026-02-18 Judge Loubser dismissed Cholota's special plea, ruling she stands trial with Magashule and the other accused.
  7. 2026-08-18 Trial postponed to 18 January 2027.

Challenge to ANC suspension under the step-aside rule

Closed

Current position. His challenge to the ANC suspension ended when the Constitutional Court refused leave to appeal in August 2022.[7]

Authority
High Court (Johannesburg); Supreme Court of Appeal; Constitutional Court
Status date
2022-08

History

  1. 2021-05 Suspended by the ANC under its step-aside rule.
  2. 2021-09 High Court dismissed his application for leave to appeal against the ruling upholding his suspension.
  3. 2022-01 Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed his application for leave to appeal.
  4. 2022-08 Constitutional Court refused leave to appeal, finding no reasonable prospects of success, with costs.

Sources

  1. Director of Public Prosecutions, Johannesburg and Another v Jonathan Schultz and Others; Director of Public Prosecutions, Bloemfontein v Nomalanga Moroadi Selina Cholota (CCT 280/24; CCT 190/25) [2026] ZACC 03Constitutional Court of South Africa, 2026-01-23, primary source
  2. 'It's really waste of time': Magashule frustrated as asbestos case stallsOFM, 2026-08-20, secondary source
  3. Magashule's bid to have charges dropped dealt a blowOFM, 2023-05-03, secondary source
  4. Corruption-accused Ace Magashule pleads not guilty: 'I'm ready now'Eyewitness News, 2025-04-16, secondary source
  5. 'Nothing I can do about it,' Judge tells Magashule as Free State asbestos trial postponed againThe Citizen, 2025-06-04, secondary source
  6. Court orders Moroadi Cholota to stand trial with Magashule in R255m asbestos caseDaily Maverick, 2026-02-18, secondary source
  7. Ace Magashule loses ConCourt bid to appeal ANC suspensionPolity, 2022-08-11, secondary source

Change history

  • 2026-10-26 Record published.

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