Johnathan Paoli
THE African Congress for Transformation (ACT) has welcomed the extradition of Ace Magashule’s former PA, Moroadi Cholota in the pursuit of justice, but condemned her ‘rough’ handling by international and local law enforcement agencies, the party said in a statement.
Cholota is linked to a R255 million contract awarded by the Free State Human Settlements department to a joint venture by the Diamond Hill Trading company and Blackhead Consulting back in 2014.
The contract was awarded for the removal of harmful asbestos from houses in the province and it is alleged that government officials received up to R27 million in bribes.
Magashule with his co-accused including former Mangaung mayor Olly Mlamleli and controversial businessman Edwin Sodi are facing charges of fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
The trial is expected to run from 15 April to 23 June next year.
The United States government authorised the extradition of Cholota on 31 July and after spending the night at the Brooklyn Police station in Pretoria, she was transported to Bloemfontein on Friday.
Cholota will remain in custody until her hearing at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s court on Monday, facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering linked to the Free State asbestos scandal.
ACT spokesperson Mohau Khumalo said on Friday while her party was grateful that the long dragging case will finally be laid to rest, it remained concerned with the treatment received by Cholota although he was not a dangerous criminal.
“Cholota does not pose any threat to anyone and did not merit the mistreatment she received. The police’s grandiose arrival at the OR Tambo International Airport was only a theatrical display intended to scare an innocent woman who happens to be a mother,” Khumalo said.
She said this was a tragedy considering it was Women’s Month and Cholota was used as an escape goat, following the collapse of other investigations.
“The police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) were essentially engaging in a facade, especially following the collapse of the Estina Dairy Farm case. They trampled on Cholota’s rights to claw back some dignity and create a media frenzy, disregarding an innocent woman’s rights,” the spokesperson said.
Khumalo said the party received information that Cholota was subjected to assault and harassment by the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Interpol and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in order to coerce her into signing a statement which incriminated party leader Ace Magashule.
Likening her to struggle icon Nomzamo Madikizela-Mandela, Khumalo praises what she called Cholota’s courage and steadfastness against blackmail by the FBI and NPA in signing a statement which implicated Magashule.
Khumalo said this formed part of a grand strategy by the Zondo Commission, NPA and President Cyril Ramaphosa in order to save face, following the failure of other cases presented to the commission.
“The commission and the NPA are attempting to justify the significant amount of money that was spent with no return on investment and are now clutching at straws to avoid embarrassment,” she said.
The spokesperson said the country was starting to realise the Zondo Commission was merely a spectacle aimed at persecuting Ramaphosa’s adversaries and that her party was certain this case would falter too.
Khumalo called on women’s rights organisations to denounce the treatment of Cholota.
“She is not a terrorist to warrant the need for her to be guarded by heavily armed men in such a manner. She does not hold any significant political position in South Africa to warrant such treatment,” she said.
Khumalo said party leader Magashule has welcomed her presence in the country, in order to share her knowledge and speak the truth and ultimately resolve the case.
Earlier this year, Cholota launched an urgent application in the Constitutional Court, seeking to block her extradition and the cancellation of a 2021 warrant for her arrest.
The Con court subsequently dismissed her application and said no case had been made for either urgency or direct access to the country’s apex court.
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