ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule made a brief appearance at the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court on Friday, facing 21 charges of corruption and fraud, and also theft and money laundering.

Predictably, former fraud convict Tony Yengeni, fraud and corruption accused ANC MP Bongani Bongo, Umkhonto we Sizwe military veterans’ spokesperson Carl Niehaus and former cabinet minister Malusi Gigaba were among the horde of ANC members who were outside court to support the embattled Magashule...