The Bosasa empire is set to be dismantled piece by piece when its assets come under the hammer Wednesday.
Bosasa, renamed African Global Operations in 2017, and its subsidiary companies were placed under voluntary liquidation in February 2019 after two major banks indicated they would be closing the company’s accounts.
The closures came in the wake of damning evidence of large-scale corruption as told by former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi testifying before the Zondo commission into state capture.
More than 140 cars, trucks and bakkies, furniture, computer equipment and high-end security equipment as well as industrial catering and kitchen equipment will be auctioned Park Village Auctions and Bidders Choice.
Most of the vehicles are passenger vehicles, fleet cars used by Bosasa’s physical security company – BlackRox Security Intelligence Service – and the company’s technical security arm, Global Technology Systems.
Also included is the metallic blue BMW X5 (with damaged rims) of the late Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson. There is also a 2013 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, that Watson previously drove, up for grabs, along with a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E250 and an Audi S5 Sportback.
In a joint statement last week, the auctioneers said the auction was going ahead as planned, despite public claims made by Watson’s nephew, Jared Watson.
“Controversy arose after the auction’s official announcement as African Global Operations [formerly Bosasa] stakeholders made public claims that the sale would not go ahead. Despite this, the duly appointed auction houses have stood firm in saying the assets will be sold off as planned,” said the statement.
“For this reason, the auctioneers have dubbed the sale as ‘the biggest auction of the decade both in significance and sheer magnitude of the physical lots on offer,'” it added.
