State Prosecutor Johan de Nysschen on Friday 23 September 2022 told Judge Phillip Loubser that former Premier Ace Magashule's PA, Moroadi Cholota, has been added to the amended indictment. Furthermore, the former Head (HOD) of the Gauteng Human Settlements Department, Margaret-Ann Diedricks, who was arrested in July this year, also made her first High Court appearance on Friday.

De Nysschen says officials in the United States of America (USA) are currently processing the extradition of Cholota in consultation with the South African government.

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OFM News previously reported that, as outlined in Pieter Louis Myburgh’s Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule's Web of Capture, Cholota made several requests for money transactions to Mpambani.

The suspects are facing 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.

It's understood that more charges have also been added against some of the accused in the case, which is still in its pretrial stages. Previously, some of the accused were facing at least 70 charges but now they will be facing at least 80.

The pretrial was postponed on Friday 23 September 2022 by the High Court Judge to 20 January 2023.

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This was done to allow some of the accused, including Ace Magashule and businessman Edwin Sodi, among others, to petition the Bloemfontein-based Supreme Court of Appeal's (SCA) ruling to dismiss leave to appeal an earlier High Court judgment.

Magashule and others petitioned Judge Soma Naidoo to dismiss the charges against them. She has since dismissed their application for leave to appeal. 

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Magashule and 16 co-accused appeared in 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.

ALSO READ - #AsbestosGate: Magashule and co back in the dock

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.

The accused in this case include Sodi, Mlamleli, and 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.

All the accused are out on bail ranging from R5 000 to R100 000 and were all warned to appear in court on the aforementioned date for the resumption of the pre-trial.

OFM News