Zondo Commission says Nomvula Mokonyane must be probed for Bosasa corruption

While some scored Louis Vuitton bags stuffed with hundreds of thousands of rands, in the case of former minister Nomvula Mokonyane it was premium whisky, braai packs, cold drinks at Christmas parties, a lavish birthday party, security installments and a R50,000 monthly payment.

The Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture has recommended that Mokonyane be investigated and prosecuted for corruption, pointing to evidence of her having received bribes from the Bosasa criminal enterprise.

Evidence assessed by the commission showed that Mokonyane was dishonest, contradicted herself, and made it difficult for any of her version of events to be believed.

Former Bosasa chief operations officer, Angelo Agrizzi, testified that the company footed the bill for her 40th birthday celebrations, security installations, providing alcohol and meat for her Christmas needs, as well assisting the African National Congress (ANC) at her behest.

This is just some of the evidence that the commission assessed over recent years, finally deciding that the former minister definitely breached her constitutional and legislative duties.

The third instalment of the commission’s report, which was published on Tuesday night, comprises four volumes, all focusing on Bosasa. Included in the newly published third part of the commission’s report looking into company – now known as Africa Global Operations – are details of how ANC politicians, government officials, and businesspeople moved mountains breaking the law to ensure that the company irregularly received lucrative contracts.

Mokonyane, throughout the process, was caught in several lies and at times was simply unable to provide evidence to refute some of the testimonies that directly linked her to corrupt activities.

It said that she accepted gratuities from people who held and sought contracts from the government, even tracking her attempts to secure contracts for Bosasa as far back as her time as Gauteng premier.

Mokonyane is now one of several high-profile politicians in the ANC who have been recommended for criminal prosecution, along with former President Jacob Zuma and former member of Parliament Vincent Smith, who is currently facing criminal charges. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s name also features in the report over donations made to his CR17 campaign to become African National Congress (ANC) president in 2017.

The commission, which sat for four years and was headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, heard testimony relating to how the country’s public institutions were infiltrated, looted, and hollowed out during Zuma’s tenure as head of state. The High Court in Pretoria recently granted the commission an additional two months to the end of April to complete its work. Ramaphosa has also been granted an extension of four months from receipt of the full report to present to Parliament an implementation plan in response.

-EWN

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