In 1982, while a student at the Fort Hare, he was arrested following a protest against a visit by Ciskei Prime Minister Lennox Sebe, and convicted of public violence.

[12] In the 1980s, he played a role in the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Northern Free State, and participated in organising rent boycotts in Tumahole.

[17][18] In mid-1996, Free State Premier Terror Lekota announced a reshuffle in which Magashule was moved to a new and less senior government office as MEC for Transport.

Lekota said that his decision was informed by "rumours about misconduct" in the Department of Economic Affairs and by his belief that Magashule was "better-suited" to the on-the-ground work of the transport portfolio.

[24] Subsequently he served as an ordinary Member of the Provincial Legislature until August 2007, when, in another reshuffle, he returned to the Executive Council as MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture.

[2][30][31][3] During his chairmanship, he was part of what was known as the "Premier League," an unofficial lobbying group within the ANC which was influential during the presidency of Jacob Zuma, to whom it was aligned,[3][32] and which consisted of Magashule, Supra Mahumapelo of the North West, and DD Mabuza of Mpumalanga.

[37] The charges relate to a R255-million contract which the Free State Department of Human Settlements awarded to Blackhead Consulting in 2014, while Magashule was Premier, for the auditing and removal of asbestos from homes in the province.

These payments included R50,000 for the school fees of the child of an alleged ally of the Gupta family, Refiloe Mokoena, previously of the South African Revenue Service.

[46][47] Magashule has been the subject of many journalistic investigations alleging his corrupt activities,[6] and has been accused of participating in state capture during the Zuma presidency.

[48] In January 2018, the Hawks raided Magashule's offices in connection with the Vrede Dairy Project, calling it a "scheme designed to defraud and steal monies" from the Free State Department of Agriculture.

[49][50] One of his sons, Tshepiso "Gift" Magashule, was employed as a consultant by the Gupta family since November 2010, shortly after Duduzane Zuma was brought under their influence.

[51] In 2015 a busy Shell fuel station in Phuthaditjhaba, owned by the Free State Development Corporation (FDC), was acquired by Ace's 27-year-old daughter Thoko Alice Malembe.

Magashule denied any involvement, despite a security video of 18 December 2014 which confirmed his exploratory visit to the fuel station, in the company of two FDC board members, and apparently, Malembe.