Public Protector finds Magashule's Operation Hlasela was abused to benefit ANC
5 May 2016
The DA welcomes the release of the Public Protector’s report into Premier Ace Magashule’s controversial Operation Hlasela in the Free State.
The Public Protector indicated that there was both a private Hlasela Fund and the government’s Operation Hlasela - the lines between which were blurred. As such, the boundaries between the Free State Provincial Government and the ANC in province became blurred.
It is clear that Premier Magashule is unable to differentiate between his role as Premier and his position as Provincial Chairperson of the ANC in the Free State.
The DA has long maintained that the line between party and state in the province has been conflated and the Public Protector’s finding supports this view.