Bosasa requests permission to disclose contracts with Ramaphosa Jr’s companies

5 February 2019

The Chairman of African Global Operations (formerly Bosasa), Mr J Gumede, has confirmed to me in writing that the company has formally approached two of Andile Ramaphosa’s companies – Blue Crane Pty Ltd and Offtake Pty Ltd – requesting permission to disclose the contracts that exist between those companies and Bosasa. This follows my request for access to these contracts in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).

In his letter, Gumede states: “We have accordingly afforded Blue Crane Pty Ltd and Offtake Pty Ltd 21 days from today’s date to give written consent that we may disclose the documents requested, alternatively, to make written or oral representations to us giving us reasons why they believe the documents requested should not be disclosed.”

The DA’s legal team has already begun the legal process of interdicting the full, unredacted agreements between Bosasa and Andile Ramaphosa’s companies – including all the salient terms and conditions of such agreements.  We therefore urge both of Ramaphosa Jr’s companies to avoid the inevitable, and accede to our request by disclosing these agreements. If there is nothing to hide, then there should be no hesitation on their behalf.

President Ramaphosa himself admitted that such lucrative contracts exist between Bosasa and his son’s companies when I questioned him in Parliament about a suspicious R500 000 “donation” by Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson. He then changed his mind days later and said the R500 000 was actually a “donation” towards his own ANC presidential election campaign.

This about-turn is highly suspicious and directly ties the President and his son to Bosasa. Both have financially benefitted from a company that has been bribing ANC officials for the better part of two decades.

Moreover, the President’s failure to act in relation to Bosasa is equally as suspicious. Despite overwhelming evidence suggesting corruption and bribery by Bosasa, Ramaphosa still has not:

- Instituted a full-scale independent inquiry - headed by a retired judge to be selected by the Chief Justice - to fully investigate the Bosasa scandal, which now involves the President and his family;

- Instructed his Cabinet to audit all government contracts and deals with Bosasa;

- Instructed his Cabinet to cancel all existing government contracts with Bosasa;

- Made public his formal submission to the Public Protector; and

- Made public his son Andile’s business contract(s) with Bosasa, which he told Parliament he has personally seen.

The circle of secrecy between Bosasa and the Ramaphosa’s must be broken. We therefore urge the President to stop talking and start acting on corruption – even when it implicates his own family.

The system of corruption in the ANC was not simply a feature of Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family. Corruption is in the very DNA of the ANC, and the party must be removed from office in order to defeat corruption once and for all.

Issued by Mmusi Maimane, Leader of the Democratic Alliance, 5 February 2019