I intend to be honest about my relationship with the Watson family – Mokonyane

Minister of Environmental Affairs Nomvula Mokonyane said she would testify at the commission of inquiry into state capture and give an “honest” account of her relationship with Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson’s family.

Testifying at the commission, Bosasa former chief operating officer (COO) Angelo Agrizzi said the company approached Mokonyane because they thought she was “powerful” and needed her on their side. They said her proximity to former president Jacob Zuma ensured the company had protection at all times.

“We knew she was very close to the president at the time. Even further than that, if there were certain people that needed to be spoken to in the Hawks, we knew that she would be able to do that and that is why it continued. She’s powerful and we had to get her on our side. She was like an Energiser bunny. If you needed things to be done, it would be done. If we had any issues, it would be sorted.”

Agrizzi had earlier told the commission that for years Bosasa paid Mokonyane R50,000. The company’s CEO, Gavin Watson, “would take money with him to see the minister”.

He said he packed the money which Watson “often would deliver in front of me”.

Agrizzi said the R50,000 was given to Mokonyane over a few occasions, adding that he could not recall the period of time but it was a long time over the years, which he said: “Never, ever stopped.”

Agrizzi said Watson was meeting Mokonyane frequently at the time, adding that the payments continued to be made to Mokonyane even after he left the company in 2016.

He said he came to know of the payments when he started packing the money around 2009.

“Chair, it was monthly, I wouldn’t deliver it, Mr Watson would deliver it because he used that time to talk about the politics of the day,” Agrizzi told the commission.

Agrizzi testified that among other many “ridiculous requests” received which he was expected to look after, even in the middle of the night, was one from Watson asking him to go Christmas shopping for then Gauteng MEC for safety and security Mokonyane.

Agrizzi said he was asked to provide the minister with 120 cases of cooldrink, four cases of premium whisky, and 40 cases of mixed beer, among other things.

According to him, this was one of many similar requests for other important people, which he was expected to “personally attend” to.

The former COO also claimed that Bosasa funded food parcels on Mokonyane’s request for ANC rallies, as well as doing maintenance work, including a security upgrade, at Mokonyane’s house in 2002.

But Mokonyane said she would not be intimidated by allegations designed to “advance political ends”.

“Siyeza [we are coming]! We’ll tell our story and put the facts. Lies have short legs. I will exercise my rights to testify, cross-examine and call witnesses as allowed by the rules of the commission of inquiry into state capture.

“Having now formally received a notice from the Commission and the aspects of the statements of Mr Agrizzi that make allegations against me, it is my intention to exercise my rights to testify, cross-examine and call witnesses before the Commission.

“This is to ensure that we formally and under-oath, dismiss allegations that I have or had a corrupt or unethical relationship with Bosasa or the Watson Family as the alleged by Mr Agrizz.

“The allegations are of serious nature, self-contradictory in many respects and are designed to cast aspersions of impropriety against me in my personal and official capacities.

“We’ll assist the commission [to] determine facts from fiction. We will not be intimidated by allegations designed to advance political ends. I intend to provide the commission with an honest account of my relationship with the Watson family, my role as the previous head of elections, and organising of the ANC, as well as my roles in government insofar as they relate to the ‘false’ allegations of bribery of myself by Bosasa,” said Mokonyane.

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

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