The secretary-general of South Africa\u2019s ruling African National Congress will ask the state prosecutor to respond to speculation that he faces arrest, the party\u2019s spokesman said.<\/p>\n
IOL, a Johannesburg-based news website, reported earlier that a warrant of arrest has been issued for Ace Magashule. Hangwani Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the police\u2019s Hawks investigative unit, said the report was false.<\/p>\n
Magashule asked his legal team \u201cto write to the National Prosecuting Authority to establish the authenticity of this rumor of an imminent arrest,\u201d ANC spokesman Pule Mabe told state television on Tuesday. \u201cOnce the ANC has gathered and established all of the facts, the organization will be able to pronounce itself fully.\u201d<\/p>\n
South African authorities last week began a crackdown on politicians and businesspeople suspected of being involved in corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hawks would like to categorically distance itself from the IOL report regarding the so-called impending arrest,\u201d Mulaudzi said.<\/p>\n
A call to Magashule\u2019s mobile went to voicemail and he didn\u2019t respond to a text message when Bloomberg sought comment. NPA spokeswoman Bulelwa Makeke didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n