Hitman Mikey Schultz: 'Agrizzi wanted me to intimidate Watson'
21 January 2019
Self-confessed hitman and security boss Mikey Schultz insists he has not been hired by controversial company Bosasa or its CEO Gavin Watson to act as an enforcer or protector.
He says he has never met the Watsons and isn't interested in getting involved in "their sh*t". Instead, Schultz alleges that former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi, who he describes as a "greedy clown", asked him to assault Watson in order to collect debt from him.
Over the past week, Agrizzi has given explosive testimony to the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, detailing the extensive corruption of politicians, prosecutors and government officials.
Prior to the start of his evidence, lawyer Paul Pretorius told the commission about a series of threats that have been issued against Agrizzi as a result of his imminent evidence implicating his former employers.
Adv Pretorius told Zondo that Agrizzi had received a series of threatening and strange phone calls between December 2017 and March 2018.
"The allegation is made in relation to a warning given to Mr Agrizzi telephonically that 'Watson could make people disappear.'"
Pretorius also explained that in his affidavit, Agrizzi mentions that Schultz had been hired to protect the Watsons.
"There's evidence of an interaction with a private security person hired by Bosasa to protect its interests involving amongst others Mikey Schultz, who is well known in circles in Johannesburg and South Africa," said Pretorius.
Schultz, who received indemnity from prosecution in 2010 for the murder of mining tycoon Brett Kebble, says he "doesn't know these people and they must leave me the f*ck alone".
Schultz earned a reputation as a debt collector and muscle for hire during the late 1990s and early 2000s when he was a co-owner of bouncing outfit Elite. He also testified in court about how he had been hired to kill Kebble in an apparent assisted suicide in 2005.
Affidavit
He deposed to an affidavit in April last year, in which he states that it was in fact Agrizzi who attempted to hire him to recover money owed to him by Watson.
Schultz recounts how in March 2018, he received a phone call from a friend asking him if he knew Gavin Watson or a company called Bosasa. He had never heard of either of the two. A few days later, his friend came to his house and "told me that a certain Angelo Agrizzi wanted me to intimidate Gavin Watson" in order to "soften Gavin up and ensure that Gavin pays Angelo R10-million that was owed to Angelo". His friend told him that "Angelo would pay me a substantial amount for this service". Schultz says he told his friend that he was "not interested in getting involved with illegal transactions to intimidate people to pay others".
Agrizzi then allegedly requested a meeting with Schultz in April 2018, which he agreed to.
"While everyone was talking, Angelo started speaking to me privately. I mentioned to Angelo during this general discussion that I have a non-profitable orphanage in the East Rand. Angelo started explaining that he wanted me to intimidate or arrange that a certain Gavin Watson is seriously assaulted, as this would ensure that Gavin pays Angelo an amount of R10m that was due to Angelo as part of some sort of agreement.
"Angelo offered me 20% (R2-million) of the R10-million as payment upfront. Angelo went further and told me that he has several other business ventures where he will include me going forward if I agreed to his request. I told Angelo that I was not willing to get involved with any illegal transactions, specifically not to seriously assault or arrange that a person that I have never met is assaulted, that he can get R10-million. I also asked him not use my name again and not to contact me again."
Manipulated
Schultz says that he is "pissed off" that Agrizzi has manipulated that meeting for his own benefit.
"I've got witnesses that were there. I said to him, listen I'm not involved with any of this sh*t. My impression of him is that he's a greedy, f*cking clown. I'm pissed off with him, hey. I would like to give his f*cking fat face a slap because he talks sh*t about me. He's a very self-centred f*cking idiot. You can see he's got that aura that he thinks his sh*t doesn't stink. He's got that kind of personality. I don't like the oke much."
Schultz also insists that he has never even met any of the Watsons. "I've never met the Watsons in my life. I met this clown once by luck at the school. I'm not interested in that sh*t. I don't know the Watsons. I don't know these people. They must just leave me the f*ck alone."
Agrizzi has acknowledged that he met Schultz, reports Kyle Cowan. In his complaint to the Hawks about various threats against his life, Agrizzi details a 15-minute meeting with Schultz in the parking lot of a school, during which the pair had a "cordial" discussion in April 2018.
"I noted in fact innuendoes were created by Gavin Watson, Joe Gumede, Louis Passano and Andries de Jager. It was evident that in fact Mikey Schultz was not fully versed with the situation and in my opinion die not want to get involved," his statement reads.
