Ex-Free State premier Ace Magashule speaks to his former PA Moroadi Cholota at Bloemfontein High Court on 15 April 2025. Picture: Gallo Images/Mlungisi Louw The long-running R255 million Free State asbestos corruption case was delayed yet again on Monday, drawing renewed criticism from former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule. The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein postponed the trial to March as legal proceedings involving Magashule’s former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, continue to unfold.
The latest delay follows arulingby the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) last week, which found that Cholota’s extradition from the United States (US) in April 2024 — while she was studying there — was unlawful. The apex court ruled that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had acted outside its powers when it requested her extradition. However, the ConCourt stopped short of terminating Cholota’s prosecution, sending the matter back to the high court to rule on her special plea.
Cholota’s plea had previously led to a trial-within-a-trial, in which she maintained that she was charged only for refusing to implicate Magashule. In June 2025, the high court upheld her special plea, declaring herextradition unlawfuland ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to prosecute her. That decision effectively cleared her of all corruption-related charges.
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The NPA subsequently approached the ConCourt to challenge that outcome. During Monday’s proceedings, Judge Philip Loubser outlined a strict timetable for the next phase of the case. Cholota’s legal team was instructed to submit its heads of argument by 28 January, while the state was given until 2 February to respond.
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