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Former Minister Nomvula Mokonyane in the State Capture investigation.
Papi Morake, Gallo Images
- Former Minister Nomvula Mokonyane confirmed that her 40th birthday dinner was held at a Krugersdorp guesthouse.
- Mokonyane previously denied ever having a birthday party at the guesthouse.
- The guesthouse owner previously told the commission that the party was organized by Bosasa’s chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi.
Former environmental affairs minister Nomvula Mokonyane confirmed to the state capture commission that she attended a 40th birthday “dinner” at a guest house in Krugersdorp, but denied it was a “party.”
“I can confirm that, as I said in my previous testimony here, that there have been several parties at that location and various meetings and by reading Mr. (Frederick Hendrik) Coetzee’s statement, I can confirm that I went to a private dinner and not the party. birthday card ‘Break your leg’ that Mr. (Angelo) Agrizzi said.
“I can confirm that there was a dinner. It was not a party as Mr. Agrizzi said. It was a surprise what happened in the place,” he said.
READ | Zondo Commission: Nomvula Mokonyane Wants to Question Agrizzi, Claims She Was Hacked Last Month
Mokonyane appeared before the chairman of the investigation, Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo, on Thursday.
She said her evidence that there was never a party at the guesthouse was not misleading.
Coetzee was the owner of the Victorian Guesthouse in Krugersdorp.
He said that before the function, Agrizzi requested a meeting to ask about the organization of a function and also mentioned that it would be for the then MEC of Security in Gauteng, the post of Mokonyane at that time. Coetzee said Agrizzi told him that Bosasa would pay for the party.
READ | Mokonyane’s birthday party: Bosasa spent cash for 174 guests, guesthouse owner confirms to Zondo
The businessman also told Zondo that it was the first high-profile government function organized by the guesthouse.
He said that while they had initially planned to cater for a group of 80 guests, the number soon increased to 120. However, on the day of the performance, the number increased to 174, Coetzee said.
During his testimony Thursday, Mokonyane said the dinner was a “sitting arrangement.”
She added: “My claim was about breaking my leg, 50th party I never had. My 50th party was about the trip of a lifetime.”
Mokonyane also said that there was no Bosasa speaker at the dinner.
READ HERE | Mokonyane, birthday party, home repairs: when witnesses contradicted the former minister in the Zondo commission
He said the plan was to have a private family dinner. “I went in there, there were already people. When the lights came on, people started singing ‘happy birthday’. It was a sit-down dinner.”
He also said he could not identify Agrizzi at the scene.
“I mean it’s white, I would have seen it. It would have been outstanding in the crowd.”
When asked about the number of people who attended the party, Mokonyane said, “I think there is a bit of confusion and hype in their performances.”
The former minister was also asked why she claimed that a birthday party was never held at the guest house during her first appearance before the commission.
READ | ‘Personally I did not benefit from Bosasa, but the ANC did’ – Mokonyane
“I said that, as I said presidency, it is more than a decade ago and what caught my attention were the statements made by my Mr. Agrizzi about a 50th birthday with the theme ‘Break your leg’, celebrated at the Victorian”.
He said he never questioned not knowing the place.
Last year, Agrizzi alleged that Mokonyane received cash payments from Bosasa.
He said the company also paid for his house maintenance, including a landscaping service, electric fence repairs and the installation of a new camera system.
READ ALSO | Angelo Agrizzi’s former PA confirms the sending of birthday baskets to Nomvula Mokonyane and her assistant
The former Bosasa boss alleged that the former minister received R50,000 per month in cash from Bosasa and that she had received gifts, including meat and expensive alcohol, for her family.
However, during his first appearance, Mokonyane repeatedly said that the accusations made against him by Agrizzi were extremely defamatory and full of contradictions.
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