Top ANC politicians ‘on Bosasa payroll’

In a fourth day of riveting testimony, former Bosasa executive Angelo Agrizzi laid bare how the controversial facilities company lined the pockets of ANC heavyweights and state officials in exchange for furthering its business interests with the government.

Bosasa, which has been renamed African Global Operations, has been the beneficiary of multibillion-rand state contracts and is implicated in allegations of widespread corruption.

During his testimony on Monday at the commission of inquiry into state capture, Agrizzi implicated ministers, former and current ANC MPs, and officials working in various departments.

The head of the commission’s legal team, Paul Pretorius, last week told the chair, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, that his team had taken steps to verify Agrizzi’s information.

Agrizzi began his testimony on Monday with environmental affairs minister Nomvula Mokonyane. The minister is said to have insisted that the firm foot the bill for ANC rallies, birthday celebrations, funeral services and even a rental car for her daughter. Agrizzi said that Bosasa had paid for at least a dozen ANC events, including the party’s Siyanqoba rallies, which are held before elections.

Apart from favours for the party, Agrizzi also described how he had been given a list of Christmas groceries to buy for Mokonyane every year since 2002. The company also paid for repairs to her Roodepoort home. Mokonyane has denied the allegations.

To secure its contracts with the government, Bosasa allegedly had to bribe state officials, mostly in the department of correctional services and department of justice & constitutional development.

Agrizzi said he employed the services of Sesinyi Seopela, who once served as former ANC Youth League president Peter Mokaba’s bodyguard, to facilitate payments to government officials and to pass on vital information on contracts.

Agrizzi said he had given Seopela up to R500,000 a month between 2008 and 2016 to pay department of correctional services officials.

This amount was increased to R750,000 after Tom Moyane was appointed the department’s national commissioner.

Agrizzi testified that Bosasa bribed officials at the department of justice & constitutional development with R15m.

His testimony also focused on alleged corruption in parliament. He admitted to bribing ANC MP Vincent Smith, and other MPs, with up to R100,000 a month.

He said he had met Smith, along with then MPs Vuselelo Magagula and Winnie Ngwenya, in 2011 at a hotel on Rivonia Road in Johannesburg.

All three were part of the portfolio committee on correctional services at the time.

"What was agreed at that meeting was that despite the negative media publicity and despite issues raised in the press that were in essence against Bosasa, that the parliamentary committee would keep quiet on it and they would make sure they could manage it so it wouldn’t stop Bosasa from getting any new business," he said.

He alleged that Bosasa had paid Smith R45,000 a month, Magagula R30,000 and Ngwenya R20,000. Smith’s monthly bribe was said to have increased to R100,000 in 2016.

Agrizzi also detailed how, after a crime occurred at Smith’s home, Bosasa had installed security upgrades. In one transaction, Agrizzi said Bosasa had paid about R276,000 to a British university in 2016 for Smith’s daughter’s tuition fees.

Smith asked in 2018 to be removed as chair of parliament’s constitutional review committee until a probe into the allegations was finalised.

In a statement at the time‚ Smith said he had entered into an agreement for a personal loan with Agrizzi.

But Agrizzi denied this. He told the commission that Smith had even offered to sell him his shares at a hospital in Midrand, but he had refused.

Smith said on Monday he would take advice before commenting further.

Agrizzi’s testimony is due to continue on Tuesday.

State-owned arms procurement agency Armscor announced on Monday that CEO Kevin Wakeford was granted special leave after he was allegedly implicated in Agrizzi’s affidavit.