Gavin Watson used ‘loud prayers’ to determine people’s loyalty – Van Tonder
Van Tonder says the working environment under Watson's leadership was a stressful one.
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Former facilities management company Bosasa CFO Andries van Tonder told the Zondo Commission today that the company’s chief executive Gavin Watson used daily morning prayers to know if people were still loyal to him. He said Watson required attendees to pray aloud so he could hear “where they are”, a statement Van Tonder interpreted as Watson’s way of finding out if people were still loyal to him.
“I viewed these meetings, and I say this with the greatest of respect, as a tool that Gavin Watson used to determine your loyalty to him. He insisted that every person in that prayer meeting had to pray aloud and he explained it by saying that he needs to hear where you’re at. And I interpret it as where you’re at in terms of your loyalty to him. I stopped attending the prayer meetings and it affected my relationship with Watson. It started in the early years of the company,” said Van Tonder.
Van Tonder said his relationship with Watson deteriorated to a point where Watson would accuse him of leaking information to the media. After leaving the company, he received death threats on two separate occasions.
“It was a stressful working environment, I was fearful of working in the environment and still am because he’s connected to people in high position of government. I would see some of them come to Bosasa,” said Van Tonder.
He said Watson embarrassed staff members he had issues with. He would publicly say things that would embarrass them and threatened to personally fire them.
The hearing was adjourned after Van Tonder’s testimony and will continue tomorrow morning.
(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)
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