State to respond to Magashule ex-PA Cholota’s bail application

The State is expected to respond today in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court to the bail application of former personal assistant to ex-Free State Premier Ace Magashule.

37-year-old Moroadi Cholota made her first court appearance on Monday. She spent four months in a US prison before being extradited to South Africa last Thursday.

Cholota, along with Magashule and others are facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering linked to the R255 million asbestos roof removal tender scandal.

She appeared very calm and during her arrival, she was seen blowing kisses to her loved ones who were already seated inside the small courtroom.

During her bail application, she submitted that the state had a weak case against her. In her affidavit, she declared that she is confident that she will not be found guilty of the charges levelled against her.

She requested to be released on R2500 bail. The State is opposing Cholota’s bail application, citing that they were only furnished with the affidavit on Monday morning.

Reading Cholota’s affidavit in court, her legal representative Advocate Loyiso Makapela says, “On or about 21 and 22 September, I was interviewed by the investigators at Baltimore, Merlin and Washington DC in the state of the Asbestos project. The investigators threatened to charge me, with the same charges as the co-accused if I did not cooperate with them. There is no evidence to show that I’ve never cooperated with investigators, they felt that I’ve never provided them with the information that they’ve been looking for and decided to charge me with fraud, corruption and money laundering. The charges against me do not come from any factual and objective evidence but from a sense of wanting to punish me for not cooperating with investigators and prosecutors in the matter.”

Moroadi Cholota appears in court after extradition: Aphumelele Mdlalane

NPA

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Free State says they still need to provide the Court with evidence as to why Cholota shouldn’t be released on bail.

NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane says, “As you would remember the accused did not voluntarily come into the country. She had to be collected through extradition processes. So, as the National Prosecuting Authority, we’re of the view that the accused cannot be released on bail, we still to provide the court with the reasons why, we believe she shouldn’t be released on bail.”

Moroadi Cholota will remain in custody until her next appearance on Tuesday. The state has submitted in the BFN magistrate court that they need time to go through the affidavit of Cholota. NPA spokesperson Mojalefa senokoatsane says they are opposing bail. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/A5JgBzKtlI

— Aphumelele Mdlalane (@AphumeleleMdla2) August 12, 2024

Meanwhile, Cholota’s family has expressed disappointment after the court postponed her bail application to Tuesday. The state requested that the matter be postponed as they needed to prepare to answer Cholota’s affidavit.

Her stepfather Happy Tilotsane says the postponement is unnecessary and shows the state’s incompetence.

“You know that this thing has been in the news for several months and years they knew very well they should have just put their oppose properly. It is unfair treatment after four months of being in jail and today they come and oppose bail. They knew very well when she was applying with the State Secretary in the United States that she did not want to come here. They knew all the way the bad part of it is that we have now 17 accused who normally came here and appeared and got bail.”

Tilotsane says Cholota is mentally strong and confident that she is not guilty of the charges against her. “She is very strong, we knew about this we have been communicating except for the last four months. Two weeks back she managed to call me we discussed this and that it is going to happen. She is brave, strong and she is confident that she is innocent in this case.”

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