Alec Hogg: All hail the Free State activist who stalked Magashule since 1994
I first came across the name of Elias 'Ace' Magashule in 2012 when JSE-listed Sanyati Construction went bankrupt over delayed Free State provincial government payments. It revolved around the stalled roadworks linking Harrismith and the Northern Drakensberg, a scenic drive past Sterkfontein Dam that was subsequently impassable for some years. Insiders say losses sustained by hundreds of Sanyati investors – and hard hit local resorts – was directly linked to a crude Magashule enrichment scheme.
During a fascinating interview yesterday it was claimed that by the time of Sanyati's demise, long-time Free State premier Magashule was already very well practiced at his dark art of channelling public resources and punishing those refusing to co-operate. Leona Kleynhans (above), a DA member of the Free State legislature whose persistence is about to nail the former provincial overlord, told me she has been watching Magashule's antics for more than a quarter century.
Kleynhans is from Harrismith so lives in close proximity to the desperate situation in poverty-stricken Qwa Qwa nearby. And says she was horrified when soon after the 1994 election, Magashule appointed cronies at the former homeland's development corporation – then plundered its resources to oblivion within five years. She says the ANC kingpin's misdeeds have simply grown since then.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___