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Former Cabinet Minister Nomvula Mokonyane testifies in the state capture investigation in Johannesburg on September 3, 2020 (Photo: Gallo Images / Papi Morake)
Former Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane sank under the weight of contradictory evidence and statements when she reappeared before the Zondo commission on Thursday to respond to allegations by former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi.
Nomvula Mokonyane, who rose from the MEC of security and protection in Gauteng, to prime minister in the province, to minister of water and sanitation, then minister of communications, and finally minister of environmental affairs before being dispatched to ANC headquarters in Luthuli House in 2019, made its second appearance on the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture on Thursday.
Mokonyane testified for the first time before the commission on July 20 and denied having received R50,000 per month from Bosasa, as alleged by the company’s former director of operations, Angelo Agrizzi, or that he ever instructed or asked Bosasa to carry out maintenance or security work on his home. or subcontractors of the company.
She also denied having an extravagant 50th birthday party at the Victorian guesthouse in Krugersdorp paid for by Bosasa, Agrizzi alleges.
When questioned by defender Viwe Notshe, she denied having had a birthday party at the guest house, which is close to her home. Notshe read the transcript of this testimony from July 20 while presenting evidence on Thursday.
But on August 25, the owner of the Victorian Guest House, Frederick Coetzee, testified before the commission, stating that he had cared for 174 guests in his establishment for the 40 of Mokonyane.th birthday party, with the theme of a “break a leg” party.
This prompted Mokonyane to submit an affidavit to the commission clarifying that his 50th the birthday party was not held there but it was the venue for his 40th birthday party in 2003, which was a surprise party that you hadn’t been told about before.
In testimony Thursday, he said he submitted his affidavit as the media publicity following Coetzee’s testimony refreshed his memory of his 40 years.th birthday party held there.
However, he said he did not know who paid for it, he did not see Agrizzi or Watson there, nor was there any Bosasa brand or anyone from Bosasa on the speaker list.
“I don’t remember seeing Agrizzi there. It could have been in another room, it could have been in another place. “
While Mokonyane has admitted to having a long-standing friendship with Watson, who supported the ANC, he said he had “no personal relationship” with Agrizzi.
Under sustained questioning from both Notshe and Zondo, who found it “strange” that she had not remembered a surprise party of such magnitude, or been curious as to who paid for it, Mokonyane said she knew that her husband, Serge, did not he had paid for it.
“We both know we don’t pay, because we don’t organize it,” Mokonyane said.
Zondo later noted that in her affidavit in response to Coetzee, she claimed that she assumed her husband had paid for the party.
Zondo read from Mokonyane’s affidavit: “My late husband was a successful businessman who could afford to pay for such an event, I always assumed he had indeed done it.”
Regarding Agrizzi’s testimony that thousands of rand worth of meat and liquor were delivered to his home annually at Christmas, which was corroborated by Mokonyane’s personal assistant, Sandra Thomas, Zondo criticized Mokonyane for her claim that the food and drink were to be distributed to needy families in Kagiso.
Zondo noted that Agrizzi’s description of the provisions included: Four cases of high-quality whiskey; 40 cases of beer; numerous boxes of premium brandy and specialty liquors.
Zondo said his impression was that this was not the kind of thing provided to families in need. I would have expected more basic foods like rice, cooking oil, and sugar.
Mokonyane said Bosasa was just one of the contributors to the Christmas generosity for the community, and there were others who provided more basic needs.
“You don’t choose what they [donors] give, ”he said, stating that overnight, volunteers would pack the products into packages to distribute.
He also denied that Christmas packages were delivered to his home every year, except for “one or two” occasions when Kagiso’s community room was being renovated, which meant that the packages could not be delivered there.
Thomas had testified that most years the goods were delivered to Mokonyane’s house and kept in the garage; however, Thomas had also said that the goods were intended to be distributed to needy families in Kagiso.
Agrizzi’s allegations that Bosasa installed and paid for the security systems, including closed-circuit television cameras, were also raised at Mokonyane’s home. Mokonyane has stated that the security systems were provided by the provincial government while she was employed.
Notshe presented a letter from the National Department of Public Works, which had been received during the tea break, stating that the provincial departments reported that they did not install security devices at his home.
Mokonyane had previously stated, and reiterated, that as far as she knew, the provincial government took care of security at her home while she was MEC and Prime Minister, but once she was employed at the national level, it was her responsibility to obtain the services of a private company.
However, he was unable to deny claims that Bosasa had installed security features at his home. When Notshe pressed the point, Zondo intervened and said: “From a legal point of view, she cannot dispute it.”
Notshe then raised the issue of Mokonyane’s Aston Martin luxury car, which he received as a 50th birthday gift and it cost more than R3 million. At the time, she was making R143,000 a month as Gauteng’s prime minister, and Notshe said it appeared she had been living beyond her means.
Mokonyane said that at the time, her now-late husband, Serge, was entering into a junk trade deal with Eskom and Denel, and the R2.2 million deposit on the car was provided by longtime friends as part of a treatment. in which they would be invited as partners to the business if the “Eskom deal” were successful.
He said the deal, which has yet to be finalized, is being challenged in court.
At the start of Thursday’s hearings, Mokonyane’s legal counsel, attorney Laurence Hodes, SC, said that every time Mokonyane testified, there was a subsequent character assassination in the media and affidavits leaks to journalists. Also, the IP address of his computer had been hacked on August 29-30.
Therefore, Hodes said, Mokonyane sought a finality regarding his appearance on the commission, which was also a risk to his health as there was a danger of exposure to Covid-19, which was especially serious as he suffered from comorbidities.
He said he would submit a request, in terms of the rules, to question Agrizzi.
Zondo said the media leaks were a problem and that the commission had tasked the team with investigating, but the report “could not identify anyone within the commission who may have leaked affidavits to the media.”
He said the commission was considering its options in addition to bringing criminal charges against “one or two, maybe three” newspapers that published leaks.
“This is a matter of great concern to us,” Zondo said.
The commission continues on Friday and will hear evidence related to Bosasa from former chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Correctional Services, Vincent Smith. DM
