Stakes are high for cornered Ace Magashule

Corner an animal and it will fight and that is what suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule is doing as he battles to overturn a high court decision that the party’s move to suspend him was unlawful.

And cornered he is just as much as his former supremo in the state capture network, erstwhile president Jacob Zuma is.

Magashule’s initial reaction to the net of the law closing around him in connection with dodgy dealings
in the Free State when he was premier, was arrogant bluster.

Then it moved along to defiance of his own organisation.

After that was the veiled threat to tear the party apart, along with his sympathisers in the radical economic transformation faction loyal to Zuma.

Now that the courts have dismantled his defence, he is down to desperately counter-attacking President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the ANC leader of either being guilty of corruption himself, or being aware of it and condoning it.

Certainly, there are many questions to be asked of Ramaphosa and why he did little to stop the rampant looting which characterised the Zuma years.

His explanation that he was biding his time until the right moment and, presumably, when he felt strong enough does have a ring of truth to it, given that he has many vocal enemies within his organisation.

The stakes are high for Magashule, which is why he is trying to go on the offensive against Ramaphosa.

His options are running out and he might not be able to delay his day in court for as long as Zuma has.

Also, as Ramaphosa indicated in his evidence to the Zondo commission, he is playing the long game.

Letting the legal process take its course gradually closes the escape routes for people like Magashule.

However, it remains to be seen whether time is on Ramaphosa’s side.