Moroadi Cholota, who was the PA of former Free State premier Ace Magashule, is seen at the Bloemfontein High Court on 23 April 2025.
Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images/Volksblad
Moroadi Cholota, the former personal assistant to disgraced former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, has suffered a setback in the Constitutional Court when her prosecution was given the go-ahead, set to be heard in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein.
Deputy Chief Justice Dunstan Mlambo on Friday delivered judgment in the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) bid to appeal a High Court ruling that declared Cholota’s extradition unlawful.
While Mlambo agreed that Cholota’s extradition from the US was unlawful, he held that this did not strip the Free State High Court of its jurisdiction to prosecute her.
Cholota was extradited from the US in August 2024 to face corruption and money-laundering charges arising from the Free State asbestos case, in which Magashule and controversial businessman Edwin Sodi are also accused.
In 2025, the Free State High Court ordered Cholota’s release, relying heavily on a 2024 Supreme Court of Appeal judgment in the matter of Johnathan Schultz – a South African national living in the US, who was accused of stealing and selling raw metals.
Central to both cases is a constitutional question about authority: whether the NPA is empowered to initiate extradition requests, or whether that power vests exclusively in the minister responsible for international relations.
More to follow.
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