Graft enablers must be punished harshly

The testimony which has been emerging at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture – from the mouth of former Bosasa (now African Global Operations) executive Angelo Agrizzi – could have come straight from a playbook used by the Mafia.

It must be stressed that Agrizzi’s evidence has so far not been tested, nor has he been cross-examined – and that the inquiry’s legal head, Paul Pretorius, emphasised that Agrizzi’s evidence was being treated with caution. That is the normal procedure with evidence from a person who can be considered to be an accomplice to a crime – in this case corruption and fraud.

That being said, Agrizzi paints a shocking picture of a company whose founders, the Watson family, parlayed their struggle credentials and close connections with ANC leaders, as well as in the trade unions, into a licence to print illicit money.

There will be many who will seize upon Agrizzi’s testimony as proof positive that the ANC is riddled with corruption. Bosasa has been linked to a number of allegations of bribery, tender fixing and doing substantial financial favours for senior ANC cadres, so it is correct that the commission proceedings will confirm that many in the party are crooked.

However, corruption is not a single-perpetrator crime. For every person accepting a kickback, there has to be someone offering it. Without excusing the lack of morality by those in the ANC who are involved in corrupt activities, it is companies like Bosasa – and the Gupta family and their acolytes, too – who are the ones which have been the enablers.

The evidence from Agrizzi also points to the fact that state capture was a far broader project than just the Gupta-linked allegations would have us believe.

If this mess is ever unravelled, then the enablers must be punished harshly.

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