What Ace’s PA told his prosecutors
Law enforcement pounced on ANC heavyweight Ace Magashule on Tuesday after the corruption case against him was bolstered by his personal assistant, who directly implicated him in requests for money from murdered business person Ignatius “Igo” Mpambani.
Moroadi Cholota worked as Magashule’s personal assistant from 2013 when he was premier of the Free State. She told investigators she would often ask Mpambani for money, allegedly on Magashule’s behalf.
Cholota, who has turned state witness, spilt the beans last month after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to question her in the US, where she is studying.
Meanwhile, a senior NPA official told the Sunday Times that investigators are turning their attention to Magashule’s assets after he told the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court during a bail hearing on Friday he owned property worth only about R700,000.
“His property is in the hands of third parties so there are a lot of entanglements to unravel. He may also have assets offshore; we are not certain yet,” the official said. “We are going to add more charges.”
The state alleges that Magashule instructed Cholota on several occasions to ask Mpambani, who was killed in Sandton in 2018, for money. Mpambani’s company, Diamond Hill Trading, was awarded the R255m Free State asbestos removal tender through a joint venture with Blackhead, the company owned by Edwin Sodi, who has also been arrested.
The requests for money, so far known to amount to almost R800,000, coincided with payments to Mpambani from the provincial housing department for the asbestos tender.
He and Sodi allegedly did no work in return for the payments.
In December last year, Cholota told the Zondo state capture inquiry that she made payment requests to several other business people for help with student fees, not only Mpambani, but evidence showed otherwise.
She appeared before the commission after former Free State economic development MEC Mxolisi Dukwana testified that each time Mpambani and Sodi’s companies received payments from the housing department, Cholota and another staffer would alert Magashule.
Evidence before the commission showed that Cholota’s e-mails asking for money were mostly sent to Mpambani.
Cholota told the inquiry she could not remember what some of the requestswere for. But she changed her tune after being visited
by the FBI last month.
Magashule is facing 21 charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering. More will be added, and three more people are set to be arrested in the asbestos scandal, NPA officials say.
Sodi is one of seven former government officials and business people who were arrested last month in connection with the asbestos tender scandal.
A senior NPA official said Magashule did not appear in court earlier with his co-accused because prosecutors were waiting for “outstanding information” from the FBI, which has since been obtained.
The state alleges that Cholota’s requests for payment were kickbacks from Mpambani for Magashule’s benefit.
Prosecutors believe Magashule corruptly received these kickbacks in at least four payments which began after Mpambani and Sodi were awarded the tender in 2014. The money was used to pay student fees, buy tablet computers and pay a travel agency that arranged a trip to Cuba. As part of his bail conditions, Magashule is forbidden from making contact with Cholota.
Asked if or when the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) might act against Magashule, an official said: “Not any time soon. Most of his assets are held by third parties. We are following up on information as it comes.”
Another senior NPA source said yesterday that the agency’s Investigative Directorate, set up specifically to bring state capture villains to book, was re-examining the Estina dairy matter in the Free State and that further assets belonging to Magashule arising from that case may be found.
NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema confirmed that Magashule’s assets were being investigated but declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times has learnt that Sodi intends to head to court to get some of his assets back.
Last month, the AFU was granted a court application to restrain R300m in assets belonging to Sodi and his co-accused, the lion’s share of which belonged to Sodi.
They include a palatial home in Bryanston, luxury properties in Cape Town’s Atlantic seaboard suburbs of Clifton and Fresnaye, as well as several luxury cars including a Ferrari.
“Sodi wants to bring an application next year to say that he [can] only be held liable for an amount of between R60m and R300m,” said an official. “We hope by then we would have identified other assets.”
Sodi could not be reached for comment.