The ANC has defended its secretary general Ace Magashule following media reports of his alleged involvement in illegal dealings during his tenure as the Free State premier. The reports are based on a book tiltled " Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule's web of capture" by investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh, which alleges that Magashule was the head of a well-organised state-capture network. The ANC says the book is a ploy to tarnish the name of the party.