Riyaz Patel
Former Bosasa boss Gavin Watson has been hailed by the African National Congress (ANC) as a cadre and an anti-apartheid activist.
The governing party has joined in offering condolences to the Watson family after he died in a car accident near OR Tambo International Airport Monday morning.
Watson was implicated by witnesses at the state capture commission of inquiry and was accused of corruption involving ANC members and some government officials.
The ANC said Gavin made the “admirable and brave choice to disassociate himself from white privilege” in apartheid South Africa while pursuing the ideals of a democratic nation.
In a statement, the party the Watson brothers were “well known activists in the UDF and underground ANC structures at the time.”
Gavin along with “Ronnie, Cheeky and Valence associated themselves with the struggle for liberation at an early age and fought side-by-side with many compatriots against apartheid.”
The party added that Watson, in particular, played a significant role in providing support, through the family businesses, to Umkhonto we Sizwe activists who were being pursued by the police.
It added that Watson extended his role and mobilized other white business’ to support the anti-apartheid struggle.
The Democratic Alliance also extended its condolences to the Watson family, but said police needed to launch a “thorough and transparent investigation into the incident as Watson’s death could have a material impact on the state capture commission of inquiry.“
The deceased former CEO of embattled Bosasa/African Global Operations, was scheduled to testify at an inquiry into his tax affairs Tuesday.
The inquiry, led by advocate Piet Marais SC, was supposed to hear from Watson as part of an investigation by the South African Revenue Services (SARS) into his tax compliance.
The inquiry flowed from testimony at the commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture.
Meanwhile, James Brent-Styan, the author The Bosasa Billions – a book detailing Watson’s business and other dealings, said his death was a major setback for the state capture investigation as he (Watson) didn’t keep notes or records and didn’t have a computer or an office.
