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A group of Free State ANC members is calling on the ruling party to compel Ace Magashule to step aside as Secretary-General of the party.

The group held a briefing in Bloemfontein on Thursday morning, a day before Magashule is set to appear in court.

Magashule faces several charges in connection with a controversial R255-million Free State asbestos project.

Pule Letshwiti-Jones has the details.

A group of Free State ANC members want Ace Magashule to step down as Secretary General.

The former Free State premier is due to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday on corruption charges related to a multi-million rand asbestos eradication project.

Pule Letshwiti-Jones has this story.

The ANC NEC finally took a firm stand on its step aside resolution yesterday.

It decided that members charged with serious crimes, which include corruption, now have 30 days to step aside or face being suspended from the party.

Pule Letshwiti-Jones, has this story.

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule says the party has agreed to respect former President Jacob Zuma's rights.
The comment come after the ANC top 6 held a five hour virtual meeting with Zuma yesterday.The meeting has been in the pipeline for weeks after Zuma continued to violate a Constitutional Court order, compelling him to testify at the State Capture inquiry. Magashule believes allowing Zuma space, is in the best interest of the country.
Political commentator, Tessa Dooms, however is of the view that Magashule’s suggestion is misleading. She adds that the country is becoming burdened by the ANC’s politics and by its inability to hold its members accountable.

The decisions, resolutions and outcomes, of the 2018 provincial conference of the ANC in the Free State, were unlawful and unconstitutional. This was the ruling delivered by the Supreme Court of Appeal on Wednesday. Mxolisi Dukwana, the former Free State Economic Development MEC chatted to us on Wednesday about the ruling. He says the ANC’s National Executive Committee, which will now have to deal with the matter, should learn from its past mistakes.

The ANC has recently put out a document, that details its “step aside” rule.
To unpack some of those details for us, Political Analyst, Dr Oscar van Heerden, joined us on Wednesday. ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, earlier, called on provinces to submit the names of members that face allegations or be involved in any wrongdoing.
Last month, the NEC gave those affected by the step aside resolution
30 days to voluntarily do so, otherwise face suspension.

The ANC will issue suspension letters to members facing criminal charges who are refusing to step-aside. Those who do step-aside will have their decision reviewed every six months by the party's top structures. Charged members will also have to take it upon themselves to update the party on their criminal case every month. Political analyst Oscar van Heerden believes the move by the party’s National Working Committee is a step in the right direction.

The battle lines have been drawn. The ANC confirmed yesterday that it will face off with its suspended Secretary General Ace Magashule in court. The party will oppose Magashule’s court application to have his suspension declared unlawful. Legal expert Elton Romeo Hart says he doesn’t expect the court battle to drag on for too long.

Political analyst, Ntsikelelo Breakfast, believes suspended ANC secretary-general, Ace Magashule made a mistake not to apologise in public. He says this decision played right into the party’s hands. Magashule's defiance of the party and its rules,were set to be the main topic of discussion in Monday’s ANC National Working Committee meeting. As South African’s await the outcomes of the meeting, Breakfast says
he expects the party to make a decision that will go against Magashule.

Suspended ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule is not going down without a fight.
ANC factional battles are now at full tilt. Last night Magashule attempted to suspend president Cyril Ramaphosa. While Magashule has no authority to suspend the ANC president he confirmed he'd written to Ramaphosa, to suspend him over reportedly being involved in corruption. Magashule claims his own suspension was ‘wholly unconstitutional’.
For the latest on this ANC saga, we spoke to our reporter Riante Padayachee.