Former Bosasa auditor Peet Venter. (Oupa Nkosi/M&G)
Bosasa chief executive Gavin Watson made a point of firing employees close to his once “right-hand man” Angelo Agrizzi after the former Bosasa chief operating officer left the controversial firm, the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture heard on Wednesday.
During his testimony before the commission chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, former Bosasa auditor Peet Venter revealed that Watson sacked people he viewed as loyal to Agrizzi.
Agrizzi left the company in 2016 and thereafter gathered a group of 22 whistle-blowers with information implicating Watson is allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering.
At the wedding of Agrizzi’s son, Watson realised that a number of Bosasa employees were friendly with Agrizzi, Venter told the commission.
Venter raised this incident in relation to evidence contained in an affidavit he wrote when he was roped into Agrizzi’s whistle-blowing plan in November 2017. He testified on Monday that parts of the affidavit, signed December 2017, were written by Agrizzi himself.
Venter further added that elements of the affidavit are untrue.
He raised Watson’s firing of alleged Agrizzi loyalists while discussing the retrenchment of Peter Reiger.
According to Venter’s 2017 affidavit, Reiger was tasked with attending to the paperwork relating to fraudulent invoices made out to pay for the costs of the homes Watson was building for his newly married son Roth and his daughter Lindsay. The costs were fraudulently allocated to Bosasa properties, Venter’s affidavit alleges.
“This resulted in the costs being absorbed by the company as costs of sales and therefore having been expensed reduced the tax liability on the company, allowing Gavin Watson the benefit of not paying for the houses personally but also allowing for the benefits to be passed onto the children,” the affidavit reads.
Venter recounted that parts of the paragraph referring to this scheme were taken from former Bosasa chief finance officer Andries van Tonder’s own affidavit implicating Watson in fraud allegations. Van Tonder testified before the commission in January.
But Venter said that he did meet with Reiger after his termination. According to Venter, Reiger was disgruntled and threatened to expose the fraudulent invoices.
Venter revealed on Wednesday that he has been dragged into the fight between Watson and Agrizzi. He alleged on Tuesday that Agrizzi threatened to expose his role in alleged unlawful activities at Bosasa if he did not join his group of whistle-blowers.
During his bombshell testimony in January, Agrizzi denied ever having coerced Venter into writing the December 2017 affidavit.
Agrizzi also alleged that Watson was quick to get rid of people he viewed as going against him, a sentiment that was repeated by Venter.
Venter said he felt he was “discarded” by Watson when he was suspended. He was suspended following the leaking of his affidavit in August 2018.
According to Venter, it was Agrizzi who leaked his affidavit. “So he actually carried out eventually the threat that he is going to expose me about this affidavit that I had done in December,” he said on Tuesday.
Read Venter’s affidavit below:
Peet Venter Affidavit by on Scribd