Unscrupulous Bosasa bosses ran “special projects” for a string of politicians – including current cabinet ministers Gwede Mantashe and Nomvula Mokonyane – that ranged from doing pricey security upgrades to their homes to installing a generator and doing a garden clean-up “as a once-off”.
The list of names of politicians and high-profile individuals that was presented to the state capture inquiry in Johannesburg on Thursday also includes former SAA boss Dudu Myeni, ANC MP Vincent Smith, ex-prisons boss Linda Mti, deputy prisons minister Thabang Makwetla, former Prasa manager Mbulelo Gingcana and Pretoria magistrate Desmond Nair, who presided over Oscar Pistorius’ bail application.
They all received upgrades to their homes running into hundreds of thousands of rands from controversial prison facilities company Bosasa, according to testimony by Richard le Roux, who is the regional technical co-ordinator of Global Technology Systems (previously Sondolo IT).
He detailed how he carried out the instructions of Bosasa bosses Gavin Watson and Angelo Agrizzi.
Over and above his everyday job of looking after Bosasa's office park, Le Roux was in charge of “special projects” including overseeing the security upgrades Bosasa sponsored for ministers and ANC officials.
Le Roux said he would receive instruction from Watson, or one of the firm’s directors, to conduct installations or maintenance at a certain property.
He would carry out a site visit, get quotes from suppliers, get former COO Angelo Agrizzi to approve, and collect the cash to buy the equipment from Bosasa accountant Jacques van Zyl.
With a team of technicians, Le Roux would travel to the properties in unmarked vehicles and in plain clothes, do the work and hand all potentially incriminating paperwork to Agrizzi. Almost every “project” was given a codename to disguise who the work was for.
Le Roux detailed the work done on “Project Blouberg”, a property belonging to environment affairs minister Mokonyane in Krugersdorp. He said upgrades were done to the property in 2013 and Bosasa carried out maintenance on the equipment up to 2017. The upgrades included installing an electric fence, a CCTV system, a generator, pool pump and distribution board.
Bosasa allegedly carried out security upgrades at three properties (in Boksburg, Elliot and Cala) belonging to Mantashe under the code name “Project Mantashe”. Le Roux estimated the project cost Bosasa about R300,000.
Former SAA boss and Jacob Zuma Foundation chairperson Myeni received upgrades to her home in Richard’s Bay to the value of R250,000, according to Le Roux.
He detailed similar “projects” for two of Mti’s properties, Smith’s home in Roodepoort worth R200,000; Makwetla’s upgrades worth R350,000; Gingcana’s R150,000, and Nair’s R200,000.
Former Bosasa IT manager Leon van Tonder also testified before the commission on Thursday. He admitted to erasing incriminating evidence from the company’s server on Watson's instruction, while the Special Investigating Unit was probing the firm in 2008.
He said the information related to contracts awarded to Bosasa from Correctional Services between 2004 and 2007.
The inquiry is set to continue on Friday...