Blow for Magashule as corruption case postponed to January

This is to allow the accused to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal to have charges against them withdrawn.

Magashule and his co-accused appeared in the High Court in Bloemfontein for a pre-trial hearing on Friday morning.

He is facing 21 charges related to the R255 million asbestos tender issued in 2014 while he was Free State premier.

If Magashule's petition in the SCA is delayed until December he will be unable to contest ANC's top six positions due to the ANC step-aside rule.

The rule targets those who are criminally charged until proven innocent.

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Addressing the media outside the court, Magashule described the charges and the postponements as politically motivated.

"I have no case and I must walk free. This is about preventing me in the ANC and I'm available, I'm going to stand. Branches will nominate and decide. I was elected by branches and we must change that culture of the ANC. 

"They keep on postponing the case quite deliberately because the intention is to kill the ANC. Our members should not allow the ANC to be killed and be part of the DA, which is an ideological enemy. Time will tell and indeed, we will save this ANC.

"Once I am nominated, nobody can stop me, I joined the ANC voluntarily and I was there in the struggle. The ANC is not a monopoly of any individual but a movement of the people. I will be there today and tomorrow and any other day," says Magashule.