‘Watson gave white people honour’
Friend praises late Bosasa boss
Late Bosasa boss Gavin Watson was a national hero who should be honoured for his role in the upliftment and empowerment of black people.
That is the view of Kevin Wakeford, a family friend and businessman alleged to have been a fixer for Watson who, among other things, helped his company to “resolve its Sars [SA Revenue Service] issues”.
Wakeford said the picture of Watson as a corrupt businessman who used his proximity to ANC leaders was wrong, as told by former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi.
Wakeford, testifying at the state capture inquiry yesterday, said Watson must be commended for proving that not all white people are racist.
Watson, along with his brother Cheeky, played rugby in black townships in the Eastern Cape in the 1970s, against apartheid laws.
Wakeford said Watson continued, through Bosasa, to uplift and empower black people, thus debunking the myth that all white people saw black people as “economic slaves”.
“Chair, I met a young man the other day who was a facilities manager at Bosasa headquarters and he recognised me at a hotel in Houghton.
“From a facilities manager, today he is a waiter. This gives you an idea of what Gavin Watson did to uplift people.
“The Watsons gave white people credibility and legitimacy in this country. It is people like that who we should treasure and give national awards to, not treat them like they sold out on the value system of the Freedom Charter.”
If there was any racist to be condemned, Wakeford said, it was Agrizzi, whom he claimed was opposed to BEE.
“Among the reasons Agrizzi’s employment was terminated in March 2017 were first, his offensive and racist language towards the [Bosasa] black board of directors.
“Second, his autocratic behaviour and complete disregard for [their] authority.”
It was also opportunistic to paint Bosasa as a company that monopolised state contracts, he said. “I find it absurd some people claiming … that billions of rand worth of contracts were given to Bosasa.”