ANC leader desperate to grill Agrizzi
Nomvula Mokonyane has applied to judge
THE ANC and one of its top leaders want to grill former chief operations officer Angello Agrizzi following revelations that the governing party received millions of rand from controversial company Bosasa.
Yesterday, it announced it had applied to cross-examine Agrizzi.
“The leadership of the ANC has publicly stated that it will at an appropriate time present itself to the commission where the ANC will make a full submission that will answer all allegations tabled against it,” the party said.
Environmental Affairs Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has also asked the commission, headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, for a chance to ask Agrizzi tough questions after she was implicated in wrongdoing.
The ANC said Agrizzi’s evidence could not be left unchallenged.
This week, Agrizzi told the commission the ruling party had received up to R12 million in donations for its operations.
He spoke of how he had witnessed ANC MP Cedric Frolick receiving cash bribes from Bosasa’s bribery payroll to sustain the controversial company’s contract with the correctional service department.
According to Agrizzi, Frolick is a long-time friend of the controversial Watson family.
Agrizzi further highlighted that Bosasa funded after-party events for the State of the Nation Address.
ANC MP and former chairperson on the portfolio committee on correctional services Vincent Smith was also on Bosasa’s payroll, Agrizzi said, adding that he also received security installations for his Roodepoort, Johannesburg, house.
He previously informed the Commission that the ANC and its leaders received a significant share of the over R75m of Bosasa’s bribery largesse.
Zondo has assured Agrizzi that although he is facing multiple charges it had nothing to do with the commission and was welcome to give further testimony.
Agrizzi testified that the company, now known as African Global Operations, paid bribes of up to R66m and was still paying another R9.4m for contracts worth R2.5 billion it secured with various state institutions, government departments and a mining company.
He revealed that Mokonyane also the party’s national executive committee member, was paid a R50 000 monthly bribe – a claim Mokonyane has poured cold water on.
So aggrieved is Mokonyane by Agrizzi’s claims that she insists on taking him head on.
She has also accused the commission of being unfair to her.
Meanwhile, Agrizzi has previously also told of how Bosasa had set up a war room and call centre for former President Jacob Zuma in the run up to the ANC’S national conference in Mangaung in December 2012.
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Judge Zondo to ask police and auditors to probe the claim that the ruling party’s six most senior members took bribes worth millions of rand from Bosasa.
“The latest shock in the state capture debacle, that some of the ruling party’s Top 6 had allegedly personally pocketed millions of rand from Bosasa coffers, will undoubtedly have a very negative effect in the eyes of potential investors.
“The whole system is contaminated,” Holomisa said.
“The United Democratic Movement therefore advises President Ramaphosa and Justice Zondo to urgently get the police, the Hawks and a team of forensic auditors involved at this stage,” adding a docket should opened so as to allow the National Prosecuting Authority to decide if these alleged villains can be prosecuted.”