Magashule facing expulsion from ANC
The ANC's national disciplinary committee has found former secretary-general Ace Magashule guilty of contravening the party's constitution for failing to apologise to President Cyril Ramaphosa for “unilaterally suspending” him in 2021.
Magashule was ordered to apologise to Ramaphosa and ANC structures after he issued a letter announcing the suspension of the party's president.
He wrote the letter after the then deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte confirmed his suspension from the party pending the outcomes of court proceedings on the asbestos case.
Magashule's suspension was in line with the party's resolutions which demand that every party leader and member who is alleged to be involved in corrupt activities, should, where necessary, step aside until their names are cleared.
Magashule, businessman Edwin Sodi, and 17 others face charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering related to a failed R225 million rand asbestos tender.
The case is set for trial in April next year in the Bloemfontein High Court.
Following his suspension Magashule approached the High Court in Johannesburg in an effort to appeal the matter, but the application was dismissed upholding the party's decision.
The conditions of his suspension included a ban on participating in party politics, addressing ANC supporters and speaking on behalf of the governing party - which affected his political career.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, the party's secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed that the disciplinary committee finally sat this month to make a ruling on the matter.
The committee found that he contravened rule 25 of the ANC when he suspended the president without any consultation.
Mbalula said he also contravened the constitution by refusing to comply with a directive of the national executive committee when he was asked to apologise to the president, ANC structures and members.
"The charged member is afforded seven calendar days from the date of being informed of these findings, to make a written submission to the national disciplinary committee to show cause why the ANC recommendation that the charged member be expelled from the organisation should not be imposed as an appropriate sanction.
“This finding will be delivered to the residential address of the charged member, by a member authorised by ANC or the deputy sheriff of Bloemfontein West.”
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