WATCH LIVE: Vincent Smith appears before Zondo commission

Former African National Congress (ANC) MP Vincent Smith is set to appear before the Zondo commission into state capture on Friday, 4 September, relating to payments he received from Bosasa, now known as African Global Operations.

In 2019, former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi testified to the commission how Smith was allegedly paid R100,000 per month for influencing committees at parliament.

Smith argued that some payments paid to him were personal loans, which was dismissed by Agrizzi.

According to Agrizzi, Bosasa paid university fees for Smith’s daughter at Aberystwyth University in Wales through a front company.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) had also brought forward claims against Smith after he allegedly received security upgrades and other benefits from Bosasa over a three-year period starting 2015.

Smith also served on the portfolio committee on correctional services when the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) found that Bosasa bribed prison officials to secure lucrative contracts with the state.

He was relieved of his position on the constitutional review committee and his chairmanship of the portfolio committee on justice when the scandal broke while parliament’s ethics committee investigated the allegations against him.

He was also being investigated by the ANC’s integrity committee.