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- Former Bain & Co partner Athol Williams told the State Capture Commission that the only thing he dislikes is the corruption in SA’s public institutions, including SARS.
- This after former SARS commissioner Tom Moyane described Williams as a “disgruntled former employee” who tried to frame his employer.
- Williams has been testifying at the Judicial State Capture Investigation Commission about the events between Bain and SARS during the state capture project.
Athol Williams, a former partner at Bain & Co South Africa, who testified before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Capture of the State on Wednesday, responded to former South African Revenue Services (SARS) commissioner Tom Moyane, who previously said Williams was a employee “who tried to implicate his former employer in alleged wrongdoing.
In an affidavit he presented to the commission this month, Moyane said he had never met Williams, but described him as a “self-proclaimed whistleblower and a determined and disgruntled former Bain employee.”
Williams appeared before the commission for the second time this week to give his testimony about what happened in SARS after Bain appointed him in 2018 to clean up the company’s image. This follows a finding by the Nugent Commission that Bain had conspired with Moyane to weaken SARS during the state capture project.
Williams noted that it was interesting that Moyane had such a clear description of him, despite never having met him, but agreed that he was unhappy, albeit for different reasons.
“I am inclined to agree with Mr. Moyane that I am unhappy because I am angry and dissatisfied with the corruption in our country; I am dissatisfied and angry about what happened in SARS,” he said.
Bain’s former partner added that he was also angry and dissatisfied with Bain’s involvement and his role in the cover-ups.
‘All SA is unhappy’
“So yes, I am unhappy, it may not be for the reasons why he thinks I am unhappy; in fact, I think the whole of South Africa is unhappy, angry and dissatisfied with what has been happening in our public institutions,” he added . Williams said.
In his affidavit, Moyane also said that it is unclear how Williams’ allegations translate to his involvement in or knowledge of the state capture or SARS capture. To this, Williams responded that he does not know enough to determine what is lawful or illegal, but he had a sense of what was inappropriate, unethical, and inappropriate for a leader of a public institution.
“If the evidence I have seen is correct, Mr. Moyane planned, with Bain, to enter SARS, [and] causing harm to SARS … I think that’s inappropriate and unethical, “Williams responded.
Williams previously told the commission that he did not receive a report of a Baker McKenzie investigation into Bain’s work in South African state-owned companies. He added that Bain had written a request for job proposals on the revenue collector’s operating model, which means that he had written his “own rules of the game.”
Early in the proceedings, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo denied Bain’s request for permission to share an affidavit detailing his version of events to the public, in response to Williams’ allegations.
He said Bain could have requested permission to testify before the commission and, had he done so, it would have been possible to include his own witnesses this week. They, in turn, could have testified after Williams and given their own version of what happened with SARS.
Any injustice Bain believes will arise from not being able to publish her affidavit while Williams is testifying will have no merit because her version will be released publicly when the investigation questions Williams about it.
“Also, if there is any injustice, it seems to me that it stems from the fact that Bains himself did not request permission to present evidence because if he had done so and would have tried to ensure that his witness testified as soon as possible after Mr. Williams he had provided evidence, which would have been arranged well, “said Zondo.
Williams’ testimony continued Wednesday afternoon.
