Popcru calls for the department of correctional services to cut ties with Bosasa
The union says this should be done following revelations that the company allegedly paid bribes to the department's former CFO.
Head of the corruption accused facilities management company, BOSASA, Angelo Agrizzi speaks at the State Capture Commission in Parktown, 16 January 2019. Picture – Neil McCartney
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has called for the cancellation of all business dealings between the department of correctional services and Bosasa, including its subsidiaries.
This comes after testimony at the commission of inquiry into state capture by Bosasa’s former COO Angelo Agrizzi revealed that the controversial company had allegedly paid bribes to the department’s former chief financial officer (CFO), Patrick Gillingham, to secure multimillion-rand tenders.
Agrizzi says Gillingham received monthly cash payments from Bosasa #StateCaptureInquiry
— State Capture Commission (@StateCaptureCom) January 18, 2019
Agrizzi told the commission Gillingham was paid R47,000 per month by Bosasa and that once the former CFO had left the department, Bosasa continued to pay Gillingham R110,000 per month.
Agrizzi continues to say Gillingham would sometimes make the payments himself. DCJ Zondo asks if the amount Agrizzi cited yesterday of R100,000 per month for Gillingham is correct. To which Agrizzi agrees. #StateCaptureInquiry
— State Capture Commission (@StateCaptureCom) January 18, 2019
In a statement following the revelations by Agrizzi, the union said it had noted with concern the revelations made by Agrizzi regarding the manner in which Bosasa continuously bribed governmental department heads in securing tenders.
“For us, this comes as no surprise and confirms our long-held suspicions over the highly controversial relationship Bosasa has over the years had with the department of correctional services,” the union said.
Popcru said there were still many unanswered questions over the awarding of tenders to Bosasa in providing nutritional services to the department, including its subsidiaries Phezulu and Sondolo IT for erecting fences and installing dysfunctional surveillance equipment in prisons across the country, all of which amounted to billions of rands.
“These latest revelations open the lid on the decade-long Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report released back in 2009, which found that Bosasa officials had allegedly paid bribes to [Gillingham] to secure multimillion-rand tenders.
“As POPCRU, we call for the cancellation of all business dealings between the DCS and Bosasa, including its subsidiaries, as they have not added any value in ensuring the [department] lives up to its core mandate, which is to rehabilitate inmates, but have rather continued to corrupt individual decision-makers in the department at the compromise of service delivery.”
The union added that as it awaited the Hawks investigation into Bosasa dealings with the department, it urged the National Prosecuting Authority to act swiftly against all those involved in the looting.
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