So what? Ace unfazed by Dukwana’s role as ANC Free State convenor
Magashule denied that Dukwana's appointment was a blow to his control of the province he once led as ANC chair and premier.
Ace Magashule, suspended ANC secretary-general, speaks ahead of former South African president Jacob Zuma’s address following the postponement of his corruption trial outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal on 26 May 2021. Picture: Phill Magakoe/AFP
Suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has reacted to the appointment of his political rival, Mxolisi Dukwana, as the convenor of the Free State ANC interim provincial committee (IPC).
“So, what?” Magashule said on Wednesday, in response to journalists’ questions.
He was speaking outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court after his appearance to support former president Jacob Zuma in his arms deal corruption case.
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On Tuesday, the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) announced the 40-member interim structure that would take the province to an elective conference “in due course”.
This after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in March declared the Free State ANC‘s 2018 conference, which elected Magashule’s allies, unlawful and unconstitutional.
Magashule denied that Dukwana’s appointment was a blow to his control of the province he once led as ANC chair and premier.
“There is no blow to anything. Leave ANC processes. Just be patient guys.”
Dukwana previously implicated Magashule in impropriety and corruption at the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture.
He claimed Magashule had sacked him from his MEC post in 2012 for refusing to toe the Gupta line.
Dukwana has also called Magashule a “blesser to many” because of the contentious asbestos audit project, saying the former premier belonged in prison.
Earlier this month, the ANC suspended Magashule from his post after he failed to step down in line with the party’s step aside resolution due to his corruption case in the Free State.
The ANC resolution was adopted by the party’s national executive committee in March and it requires all party members facing criminal charges to step aside pending the conclusion of their cases.
‘Floating like a butterfly’
Asked whether he would apologise publicly to the ANC and the public for attempting to suspend ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, Magashule appealed for patience from the media.
“Just be patient. I’m floating today like a butterfly. Leave the processes and be patient,” he said.
Magashule wrote a letter ordering Ramaphosa to step down as president over allegations of vote buying during his CR17 ANC presidential campaign in 2017.
The ANC said Ramaphosa’s suspension was invalid because it was not authorised by any of its structures.
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Additional reporting by Neo Thale
