‘Implicated ANC leaders must fall on their swords’
More explosive evidence expected today
THE ANC said individual leaders implicated in allegations of state capture would be urged not to drag down the name of the party with them.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s annual Lekgotla in Irene, Tshwane, yesterday, ANC head of the presidency Zizi Kodwa said: “When we took a decision that we must establish a commission of inquiry, particularly on state capture, we knew among others that a number of leaders of the ANC, whether former or incumbent, their names will appear in one way or another. Our core narrative has always been (if) past mistakes were committed we must self-correct and that there are lessons (and) what was done wrong is never repeated.
“Regardless of how many names of ANC senior politicians or leaders appear before the commission, as they have appeared before, they appear in their own capacity.”
More explosive evidence is expected to be heard at the Zondo commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture when former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi resumes his testimony today.
Agrizzi had detailed how the company used illicit cash to bribe key politicians and officials in government departments and state-owned companies through monthly allowances in order to secure or retain contracts.
He had implicated the ANC in North West, saying it was one of the beneficiaries of money laundering in which his former employers were allegedly involved after it asked for money for electioneering.
He said the North West government would sometimes pay Bosasa monies for non-existent software programmes at a youth development centre and that Syvion Dlamini, the director of professional services at Bosasa Youth Development Centres, and an unnamed MEC disclosed to him the purpose of the fraudulent IT contract.
Estimates of the value of that North West transaction was about R3.4 million, of which R1.8m was paid to a “client” for electioneering, he said.
Agrizzi, in his testimony before the commission, also implicated Brian Biebuyck, a former lawyer at law firm Hogan Lovells, in Bosasa’s corrupt payments to government officials. The firm said Biebuyck had left its employ at the end of March 2017.
“We are deeply disturbed by what was claimed yesterday before the commission. We strongly condemn all forms of bribery and corruption and our first priority is to understand for ourselves the events which are alleged by Agrizzi to have taken place,” it said.
“We will take the appropriate actions and will report any criminal conduct to the relevant authorities,” said Hogan Lovells’s South Africa chairperson Nkonzo Hlatshwayo.
Meanwhile, the DA said yesterday that it had given President Cyril Ramaphosa until next week to institute an independent audit into existing contracts between the state and Bosasa.