Jump to navigation

South Africa

Ace Magashule and his party allies plot their next moves

In court again on corruption charges, the ANC Secretary General faces mounting pressure to stand aside

What happens at Bloemfontein magistrates court today (19 February) will be another test of strength for dissidents in the African National Congress.

Inside the court, ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule will be making his second appearance to answer charges of corruption, fraud and money-laundering. The case will inch further forward.

Outside the court, the number of demonstrators who turn up waving placards and condemning the case as 'politically biased' will be a good measure of Magashule's support. 

His ally, ousted President Jacob Zuma, was able to gather a good crowd of supporters outside the court in kwaZuluNatal in the initial stages of his trial on charges of grand corruption on a government arms deal. Since then, the number of Zuma well-wishers has dwindled to a smattering of die-hards. 

The charges against Magashule concern a 255 million rand ($17m) contract for asbestos-removal signed when he was premier of the Free State. Although he has been asked by the ANC's Integrity Commission to stand down as Secretary General, which puts him in charge of administration and finances, Magashule has refused to move.

Given his political plans, said to include challenging President Cyril Ramaphosa for the presidency of the ANC, Magashule finds his current party position far too useful. He has direct contact with ANC branches across the country, and has been running an energetic recruitment campaign.

Magashule's supporters says he has boosted party membership by 400,000 to 1.4m over the past three years. He wants to run the ANC campaign in local elections, now due in November. It is those links that he has cultivated with grassroots members of the party that he is using to justify his defiance of the demands of the Integrity Commission and senior members of the party.

Now, his line is that he is answerable only to the branch members of the ANC. As Secretary General he can control much of what goes on in the branches and how they might vote. 

It was Mines Minister Gwede Mantashe's time as Secretary General of the ANC that prepared the ground for Ramaphosa's victory in the party presidential elections in December 2017. Mantashe organised a comprehensive audit of branches and membership numbers and set out a road map for Ramaphosa's victory.

Magashule wants to repeat those tactics ahead of the ANC's elective conference next year. Losing his perch as Secretary General would scupper all that (AC Vol 62 No 4, The captured spies & Vol 62 No 2, Cyril and Ace's linked fates).



Related Articles

The captured spies

ANC leaders are trying to persuade ex-President Zuma to appear at the Zondo Commission after claims about his personal spy network

President Cyril Ramaphosa's attempt to fight grand corruption in state agencies and the ruling party faces critical tests over the next month, on two parallel tracks. At the...


Cyril and Ace's linked fates

A conviction in Magashule's trial could save Ramaphosa's career in the ANC and at the polls. An acquittal could end it

African National Congress Secretary General Ace Magashule heads to the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court on 19 February to face 21 charges of corruption and fraud dating from his time...


Storm over SA mercenaries in Libya

Ex-soldiers and police officers recruited in Cape Town helped some of Gadaffi’s family escape to Algeria but another team was less successful

Two teams of South African mercenaries are believed to have helped members of the Gadaffi family to escape from Libya and may have tried to save the late...


South Africa scrambles for Africa

The African National Congress (ANC) government has ordered South African state-owned companies to mount an aggressive trade offensive into Africa to counter the onslaught of investments by foreign...


Jacob Zuma's money

In the middle of a politically damaging rape trial and facing another on corruption charges in July, Jacob Zuma finds his finances under heavy pressure. His total legal...