Magashule's asbestos tender case postponed to next year
The asbestos tender case will not be getting off the ground any time soon and has now been postponed until next year – much to the frustration of Ace Magashule, former Free State Premier, who is accused number 13 in the matter.
A News24 report notes that the case returned to the Free State High Court (Bloemfontein) briefly yesterday, when the main trial was postponed until 26 January 2026.
This followed a request from State Advocate Johan De Nysschen for a short postponement until next week for him and his team to consider appealing the court’s ruling on Tuesday, upholding Moroadi Cholota’s special plea – which at this point looks likely.
The case emanates from a scheme, which allegedly saw a R255m project to get rid of asbestos roofing in poor homes across the Free State irregularly channelled to a joint venture involving Edwin Sodi’s Blackhead Consulting in 2014, with government officials plied with kickbacks and the work never completed in the end.
Magashule’s former assistant, Cholota was extradited from the US last year to stand trial as an accused alongside her former boss.
On Tuesday, however, the court upheld a special plea she had raised challenging her extradition and, as a result, the court’s jurisdiction to try her.
Judge Phillip Loubser originally looked at postponing the main trial to a sooner date but with a total of 17 accused in the dock now – as well as several attorneys and advocates from across the country involved and the court having other matters on its roll in the interim – the earliest date possible is next year.
In the meantime, the state’s application for leave to appeal the court’s ruling on Cholota’s special plea has tentatively been set down for 13 June 2025.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
