ANC Provincial Secretary Pulediso Motsoeneng says the party expects Motshidisi Koloi to voluntarily step aside to allow the legal processes to proceed without any hinderance. 

This follows charges of fraud and corruption levelled against the Social Development MEC and two other public servants.

He said despite respecting the legal principle that anyone must be presumed innocent until guilty, the party sees the serious charges as damaging to the image of ANC. Koloi is expected to present herself before ANC integrity commission.

Koloi, Vusumuzi Rajuili, who is chief director at the Department of Human Settlements, and political advisor Serake Leeuw stand accused of looting R150 000 of taxpayers’ money. The trio appeared at the Kroonstad magistrate’s court on Friday (13/10) and were released on bail of between R5 000 and R10 000.

The DA leader in Free State, Roy Jankielsohn, welcomed the arrest of Koloi and her co-accused.

“The DA welcomes the arrest of another politician in the Free State. We do hope the National Prosecution Authority will do their job thoroughly to ensure that we start seeing corrupt politicians in orange overalls in jail. Because until such time, the public in the Free State, who have been victims of ongoing corruption for many years, will not have trust in the criminal justice system,” he said.

The ActionSA provincial leader Patricia Kopane said the scale of corruption in this country has cost South Africans dearly, with the pervasive fraud hollowing out state institutions. She called on Premier Mxolisi Dukwana to relieve Koloi from her duties until her criminal case has been finalised.

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