Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has adjourned proceedings for the day citing security concerns.
Former Bosasa COO, Angelo Agrizzi was back on the witness stand on Thursday, where he revealed the extent of corruption of the facility and Management Company.
On Wednesday morning, Agrizzi raised security issues after a former police officer Solomon Segale, who used to work for Bosasa was allegedly spotted in the building with an expired police badge.
The Commission says the same security issues on Tuesday have come forward. Justice Zondo says it is important to take the necessary measures in ensuring that all witnesses are safe.
“There was a security situation in the building connected with the hearing that needed to be looked into. It has been looked into,” says Zondo.
Agrizzi has told the commission that he pushed for a video to be taken of corrupt and illegal activities at the facility and Management Company, to protect himself and come clean.
He has told Justice Zondo that all government contracts given to Bosasa were almost all tainted with bribes and corruption.
Video footage
Agrizzi says he asked former Bosasa CFO Andries van Tonder to take the video in order for him to later use it as evidence, as people who wanted out of the company were labelled as the “enforcers of wrongdoing” and would be eliminated.
“The blame would always be attributed to those who had left. When I left, a lot of blame was attributed to me. Gavin Watson would never sign anything. He would tell you, ‘and I’ve never signed anything. You can’t pin anything on me.’ And he would them sell you up. That is what motivated the video. I wanted to show you and I wanted to tell the country how easy it is to fall into this trap,” says Agrizzi.
Agrizzi is using video footage to explain how the facility and management company paid bribes. The footage has been viewed at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
Agrizzi explained that the movements in it showed activities in the money vaults belonging to the company. The footage also shows Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson, the company’s spokesperson Papa Leshabane and Johannes Gumede.
Agrizzi explains the process of paying bribes using distinctive money bags. “Chair, we used to get the money in either hundreds or preferably 200 notes. That plastic bag is over those notes because those notes come in packed. I think it’s a million rands in one big bag which is wrapped by the people that collect the cash.”
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