Bosasa’s Angelo Agrizzi avoids prison after plea agreement

Angelo Agrizzi, former chief operations officer of Bosasa that was notorious during the state capture era, pleaded guilty in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday.

This was for three counts of corruption and one count of money laundering linked to prison contracts worth over R1.8 billion.

The charges relate to four tenders awarded to Bosasa by the Department of Correctional Services between 2004 and 2007 for catering, training, security systems, and monitoring equipment.

Agrizzi admitted that the company paid bribes to secure the contracts.

Under a plea and sentencing agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Agrizzi was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.

The sentences were fully suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit similar offences and cooperates with ongoing investigations.

Agrizzi, who appeared in court via video link due to health reasons, has agreed to provide evidence and testify in related State Capture cases.

The NPA stated that his cooperation is essential to prosecuting other individuals involved in Bosasa’s activities.

The case forms part of broader investigations into corruption at Bosasa, which emerged from testimony Agrizzi gave at the Zondo Commission between 2018 and 2019.

His evidence detailed systemic bribery to obtain lucrative government contracts.

According to his testimony, Bosasa spent between R4-million and R6-million monthly for bribes to senior government officials on the company’s payroll, in what late CEO Gavin Watson called “monopoly money.”

Agrizzi testified that Watson routinely handed out bags of cash from a vault known as “Gavin’s safe” to facilitate bribes for public officials linked to government contracts.

The total value of Bosasa’s contracts with the Department of Correctional Services cited in the Zondo Commission as reaching R7.1 billion, with some valued at more than R1.8 billion.

Co-accused in the matter, including former Correctional Services officials Linda Mti and Patrick Gillingham, are still facing trial.

The NPA said Agrizzi’s guilty plea resolves his involvement in this specific case but does not affect other ongoing proceedings.

Bosasa, now liquidated, was central to several State Capture inquiries for allegedly paying millions in bribes to influence tender awards and protect its business interests.

Public entities implicated included the South African Post Office (Sapo) and the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa). Agrizzi said former Sapo CEO Maanda Manyatshe and Sapo’s head of security, Siviwe Mapisa, received gifts from Bosasa after a business trip to Dubai.

Mapisa is the brother of former defence minister Nosiziviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who is facing corruption charges of her own.

Bosasa later secured a Sapo security tender servicing pension paypoints, though Agrizzi stopped short of confirming Manyatshe’s role in awarding it.

In 2018, President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted that a payment made on behalf of Watson into a trust account was used to fund his campaign to become president of the ANC.

This was after first telling parliament the money was paid to his son Andile in terms of a valid consulting contract with Bosasa he had seen personally.

The president later said the donation by Watson to his campaign had been made without his knowledge.

Agrizzi also revealed that even before Bosasa’s rebranding, when it was still Dyambu, it engaged in corrupt practices.

The company provided groceries worth about R15,000 a month to Ceppwawu general secretary Simon Mofokeng for his help in securing a Sasol catering tender.

Mofokeng supplied corrected costing figures after the tender’s closing date, which allowed Dyambu to win the contract.