Ace Magashule and 16 co-accused will this morning appear in court where the case is set to commence at the Bloemfontein-based High Court to deliberate on the key details around it to make way for a trial. The case is still in its pre-trial stages and has been delayed by numerous postponements.

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Magashule, as well as the former MEC for Human Settlements, Olly Mlamleli, the Head of the Department of Free State Housing, Nthimotse Mokhesi, and businessman Edwin Sodi are amongst the accused.

They face varying charges including fraud, corruption and money laundering in connection with the failed 2014 project which was meant to eradicate asbestos roofing across the province.

During the last court appearance in June 2022, Magashule criticised the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and accused it of “playing politics”.

A visibly frustrated and irritated Magashule told Judge Corné van Zyl that the State has always maintained that it was ready for the trial.

“The prosecuting authorities said they had a case, and that is why we have been arrested and we want a speedy case. In the public eye, we are these corrupt people who do not want to respect the law - we were promised by the presiding authority that this would have been dealt with last year. But it has been postponed and postponed, and even when we get out now, you are going to hear the National Prosecuting Authority say it is us who are delaying the case,” Magashule said.

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The state alleges that Sodi was irregularly awarded the housing audit tender via his joint venture with Diamond Hill Trading - owned by murdered Welkom businessman Igo Mpambani - by the Free State Human Settlements Department in 2014. Not only was the tender irregular but kickbacks were reportedly given to some of the accused.

State Advocate Nazeer Cassim (SC) had previously argued that there was a flagrant breach of Treasury regulations when awarding the controversial multi-million-rand project, which was commissioned in 2014 to eradicate the asbestos roofs of 30 000 households across the province.

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The accused in this case include Sodi, Mlamleli, Mokhesi, as well as the Director for Supply Chain Management at the Department of Human Settlements, Mahlomola John Matlakala; a Johannesburg businessman Sello Joseph Radebe; a Pretoria businessman Abel Kgotso Manyeki; the former Director-General for the National Department of Human Settlements, Thabane Wiseman Zulu; and Albertus Venter, who occupied a role in the Free State Premier’s office.

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Meanwhile, a former HOD of the Human Settlements Department in Gauteng, Margaret-Ann Diedricks, who was arrested in July for her alleged involvement in the case, will also join the 16 accused in the dock.

Diedricks faces charges of money laundering, fraud corruption and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

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All the accused are out on bail ranging from R5000 to R100 000 and were all warned to appear in court on the aforementioned date for the resumption of the pre-trial.

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