Nomvula Mokonyane didn’t declare Bosasa gifts in Gauteng Legislature – DA
The party says it checked the Register of Members' Interests and found that the minister had not declared any of the alleged gifts.
Minister of Environmental Affairs Nomvula Mokonyane briefs media in Johannesburg on November 6, 2018. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said that Environmental Affairs Minister Nomvula Mokonyane did not declare any of the gifts she was allegedly given by Bosasa when she was an MEC and premier in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
The allegations were made by the company’s former chief operating officer (COO) Angelo Agrizzi during his testimony at the commission of inquiry into state capture.
In a statement on Wednesday, the DA’s member of the Gauteng legislature, Jack Bloom, said: “I have checked the Register of Members’ Interests for the period 2002 to 2016 when she allegedly received R50,000 a month from Bosasa, as claimed by Angelo Agrizzi at the Zondo Commission into state capture.
“He also said that she got Christmas groceries for many years, including 120 cases of cold drink, 40 cases of beer, four cases of quality whisky, 12 cases of frozen chicken, 200kg of beef braai packs, eight lambs, and eight cases of premium brandy.
“None of this is declared in the register, which merely records that she has 10,000 shares in Telkom and two houses, one in Kagiso and one in Noordheuwel, Krugersdorp.”
According to Agrizzi, he also paid for renovations to one of Mokonyane’s homes, as well as a car for her daughter and funerals for her relatives.
“It appears that Mokonyane blatantly lied every year in the Legislature by not declaring these gifts as required by the Executive Members Ethics Act.
“If Agrizzi’s evidence is true, she got a whopping R8.4 million in total for the 14 years that she was allegedly paid R50,000 a month to provide protection for Bosasa because of her close connection to Jacob Zuma,” Bloom said.
Bloom added it was significant that Mokonyane has complained about due process issues and not outrightly denying the allegations.
“She is utterly shameless so she is unlikely to resign, as did former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene when evidence was uncovered about his meetings with the Gupta brothers.
“There are many other corruption controversies she has weathered in her political life. I agree with comedian Chester Missing that Mama Action has now become Mama Transaction.
“The DA has laid criminal charges against her and there is no ‘new dawn’ if she is not swiftly removed from office and as a candidate in the elections.”
Agrizzi’s testimony continues today at the inquiry where evidence leader Advocate Paul Pretorius and the witness are interrogating the report of the special investigative unit (SIU) on the awarding of tenders by the department of correctional services to Bosasa.
The SIU in 2009 referred a report on the department-awarded tenders to Bosasa to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), however, as recent as last year, the authority had not taken any action.
The tenders awarded to Bosasa included providing nutritional services to the department, with the company’s subsidiaries Phezulu and Sondolo IT given the tender for erecting fences and installing dysfunctional surveillance equipment in prisons across the country, all of which amounted to billions of rand.
Watch the testimony:
(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)
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