The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture has adjourned until Friday morning at 10 o’clock. Earlier, former Bosasa IT guru Leon van Tonder said he had to leave the company in May 2018 due to continued ill-treatment from Chief Executive Officer Gavin Watson.
He says he noticed that Watson always sidelined him when it came to IT-related projects, including not inviting him for meetings with colleagues from the IT department.
Van Tonder, however, says he had a good working relationship with former Bosasa Chief Operations Officer Angelo Agrizzi. He detailed how he worked with him and subsequently shared how he arrived at the decision to resign from Bosasa.
“We never had any arguments or fights. There was always good communication between myself and Angelo.”
Chairperson of the Commission Deputy Justice Raymond Zondo asked what led to the resignation.
“Chair, eventually, all the humiliation and all the victimisation and endurance over the years, eventually got too much for me.”
Van Tonder testified that Watson intimidated him. Van Tonder said there was no way one could question Watson’s authority. He says he has seen many employees being retrenched for no apparent reason adding that Agrizzi once put him on two months’ suspension.
Earlier the Commission has heard that top ANC officials and government ministers have benefited from Bosasa. ANC Chairperson and Mineral Resources Minister, Gwede Mantashe, ANC MP Vincent Smith and former SAA Chair, Dudu Myeni were among those named as having benefited from Bosasa’s so-called special projects.
Richard le Roux – an employee of Global Technology Systems – a subsidiary of Bosasa – says he installed high-end CCTV cameras, alarm systems and electric fencing for ministers Gwede Mantashe, Nomvula Mokonyane, and deputy minister Thabang Makwetla.
Le Roux says he was instructed to start with Mantashe’s property in Boksburg on the East Rand and later work on his other two properties in Elliot and Cala in the Eastern Cape.
Also on the receiving end of Bosasa’s upgrades were former SAA chairperson, Dudu Myeni, and former Correctional Services senior official Linda Mti.
ANC MP Vincent Smith’s name also came up – his Roodepoort house benefited from security upgrades facilitated by Bosasa.
The commission has also heard from Le Roux that at some stage former President Jacob Zuma, former SAA Chair Dudu Myeni and then deputy agriculture minister Bheki Cele visited Bosasa Office Park. And IT personnel at the company were instructed by chief executive Gavin Watson and former COO Angelo Agrizzi to delete the footage.
