Ace Magashule

Elias Sekgobelo "Ace" Magashule (born 3 November 1959 at Tumahole, Parys) is a South African politician who served as the Premier of the Free State, one of South Africa's nine provinces, from 2009 until 2018. Magashule went into exile in the late 1980s. He was elected to the position by the Free State Legislature on 6 May 2009, replacing Beatrice Marshoff. He was elected Secretary General of the African National Congress in December 2017 during the party's elective conference.

From a young age, Ace Magashule showed a deep concern for the plight of his people, and for the suffering that they endured under the repressive and racist apartheid regime. While he was still at university at Fort Hare, he was in 1982 arrested for his anti-apartheid political activism, and charged with High Treason.

After completion of his first degree, which was a Batchelor of Arts (BA) qualification, he first taught as a teacher at Moqhaka High School in Sebokeng, and later he returned to home to Phehellang High School, in Tumahole, to teach there.

He attended primary school at Tumahole Primary School (now Lembede Primary). He attended secondary school at Phehellang Secondary School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Hare University

• Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State since 1998.
• Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC)

Magashule has been the subject of many journalistic investigations alleging his corrupt activities. In 2011 Magashule and Mohloua Seoe were linked to a government property deal that was awarded to a company of which both were once co-directors.

In November 2017 the winner of a tender from the provincial government Magashule headed alleged that Magashule had personally encouraged him to act as a front for the contract.

In January 2018, the Hawks unit of South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation raided Magashule's offices in connection with the Vrede Dairy Project, calling it a "scheme designed to defraud and steal monies" from the Free State Department of Agriculture.

Children

One of his sons, Tshepiso "Gift" Magashule, was employed as a consultant by the Gupta family since November 2010, shortly after Duduzane Zuma was brought under their influence. In 2011 Gift joined the Gupta brothers on a three-week holiday to New York and Venice, and he was later appointed as a director in a Gupta company, earning R90,000 a month. Ace Magashule alleged that Gift's link to the Guptas was no secret. In 2015 the Guptas treated Gift and his brother Thato to an eight-day stay in the Oberoi Hotel, Dubai.

In 2015 a busy Shell fuel station in Phuthaditjhaba, owned by the Free State Development Corporation (FDC), was acquired by Ace's 27-year old daughter Thoko Alice Malembe. As the deal involved an R11.5 million upfront rental fee from Shell, and a purchase price of R2.9 million, reportedly below its market value, it resulted in a windfall of some R8.9 million for Malembe's MMAT trust. Magashule denied any involvement, despite a security video of 18 December 2014 which confirmed his exploratory visit to the fuel station, in the company of two FDC board members, and apparently, Malembe. The fuel station's 60 employees had to be entrenched by their former employer, when it lost its case against the FDC. After she was reunited with her father in 2011, Malembe registered Botlokwa Holdings in 2013, which managed to secure a series of government tenders and property deals from the Free State provincial government. Malembe's trust or company also acquired a Botshabelo fuel station from the FDC for R2.88 million (or R4 million according to the FDC), despite an offer of R5.5 million from another investor.

Associates

Ace Magashule is a long-time friend of Hantsi Matseke, chairperson of the FDC. Matseke owns Maono Construction which has been awarded contracts worth R515 million by government departments and municipalities in the Free State. Magashule has denied influencing any of these. Maono Construction has however subcontracted work to Malembe's Botlokwa Holdings.

• He was arrested and charged with high treason whilst a student in Ciskei in 1982.
• He worked as a teacher at Moqhaka High School in Sebokeng.
• He worked as a teacher at Phehellang High School in Tumahole, Parys.
• Played a major role in UDF in Northern Free State in the 1980s and participated in organising rent boycottsin Tumahole.
• Member of Tumahole Youth Congress in the 1980s.
• Detained for his role in UDF activities in 1985.
• He went to exile in 1989 and returned in 1991 after unbanning of ANC/SACP and PAC.
• Elected Chairperson of ANC’s Northern Free State Region in 1991.
• Elected Deputy-Chairperson of ANC in the Free State in 1994.
• Served as MEC of Economic Affairs between 1994 and 1996.
• Served as MEC of Transport.
• Deployed to National Assembly, August 1997.
• Elected as Chairperson of ANC PEC in the Free State in 1998.
• Re-elected as Chairperson of ANC PEC in Free State in 2002.
• Served as MEC of Agriculture between 2004 and 2005.
• Re-elected as Chairperson of ANC PEC in Free State in 2005.
• Elected to ANC National Executive Committee during the 52nd ANC National Conference in 2007 at Polokwane.
• Re-elected as Chairperson of ANC PEC in Free State in 2008.
• Served as MEC of Sports, Arts and Recreation between 2007 and 2008.
• Served as MEC of Safety and Security in 2008.
• Appointed as Premier of Free State on 6 May 2009.
• Initiated Operation Hlasela which aims to fight poverty in Free State.
• Established a bursary fund for tertiary students in Premier Office.

In 2019, Ace Magashule urged voters not to "waste your vote on the white man" by supporting the opposition Democratic Alliance. His remarks were condemned as racist by ANC veterans.