Golf days, birthday parties, birthday cakes, lunch packs, money for major events and rallies, election war rooms, cash donations and friendship.
Whatever the ANC and its leaders desired or needed, the former Bosasa - now know as African Global Operations - was there to make it happen, a series of photographs revealed.
News24 has obtained new pictures that show just how far the corruption-accused company's deep pockets went to lubricate the company's cosy relationship with the ruling ANC over many years. Despite a cloud of corruption allegations looming large over Bosasa and its executives, leaders in the ANC seemed to have no qualms about having dealings with them.
Last week, when confronted with a 2014 photo of a Bosasa delegation with him at Luthuli House, former ANC treasurer general Zweli Mkhize confirmed that Bosasa had donated "directly and in kind" to the ANC.
It is understood the donations, conservatively estimated by a Bosasa insider to be R40m, span nearly two decades between 2000 and 2019.
This is against the backdrop of continuous media reports detailing corruption at the highest level, involving Bosasa and bribes the company allegedly paid to former correctional services commissioner Linda Mti and former chief financial officer for the prisons department Patrick Gillingham.
Bosasa directors (from left) Papa Leshabane, Thandi Makoko, Gavin Watson, Joe Gumede with former ANC treasurer general Zweli Mkhize (centre) and politically connected fixer Sesinyi Seopela (far right) during a meeting at Luthuli House in 2014.
In 2009, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) finalised an investigation into four tenders awarded to Bosasa by the correctional services department between 2004 and 2005. It found evidence that Mti and Gillingham had been bribed to award these tenders to the company.
These four tenders alone resulted in Bosasa pocketing R7bn over 15 years, current correctional services national commissioner Arthur Fraser told Parliament's standing committee on correctional services on Wednesday.
Initially, the contracts were worth around R1.5bn, according to the SIU report finalised in 2009.
READ: ANC accepted Bosasa millions for years
The new photographs, compared with those already published by News24, suggest the relationship between the ANC and Bosasa was far closer and more beneficial than what the ruling party would have the public believe.
Bosasa – Proudly supporting the ANC
An undated picture of a polystyrene take-away container with a sticker reading 'Bosasa Proudly Supporting the ANC', sporting both ANC and Bosasa logos, shows Bosasa provided lunch packs for ANC events.
It is not clear when the picture above was taken. However, it is accompanied by pictures of Bosasa staff preparing sandwiches in bulk and pictures of large stacks of the same take-away containers believed to have been taken inside the kitchen at the Lindela Repatriation Centre.
The state capture commission of inquiry has heard evidence by former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi about how the company had bankrolled ANC rallies and events for years.
Bosasa staff stacking hundreds of lunch packs for an unknown ANC event. The food containers bear a sticker that reads 'Bosasa Proudly Supporting the ANC'.
A picture posted to Facebook by Bosasa director Papa Leshabane of himself (back) with former environmental affairs minister Nomvula Mokonyane during the ANC Gauteng manifesto launch at FNB Stadium on June 4, 2016.
Golf buddies
While Bosasa director and spokesperson Papa Leshabane professes not to enjoy the game of golf, he had no qualms about pushing aside his dislike for the sport to attend a Bosasa-sponsored golf day for the ANC in North West, held at Sun City.
In the undated photograph below, Leshabane is seen with recently reinstated North West premier Supra Mahumapelo and Bosasa director Thandi Makoko.
The group is standing behind an ANC banner, with the Bosasa Group logo visible in the bottom right corner.
A closer look at the picture shows North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo (second from right) with Papa Leshabane (back left) dressed in an ANC shirt with a Bosasa cap.
Friendly foundations
News24 previously reported how Bosasa sponsored a lavish 70th birthday bash for former president Jacob Zuma, and revealed this picture of Zuma dancing the night away as a grinning Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson applauds.
The parties, in 2015 and 2016, cost Bosasa about R3.5m.
Last year, News24 revealed the existence of a secret recording in which Watson bragged how he would lobby Zuma to appoint a national director of public prosecutions that would protect Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba, whom Bosasa had allegedly bribed with cash payments every month for years.
Jiba has denied the allegations.
Along with the recording, News24 published pictures of Zuma snapped during a four-hour visit in April 2015, on a Saturday morning the day before his birthday.
He was accompanied by former South African Airways chairperson Dudu Myeni and current police minister Bheki Cele.
ALSO READ: How Bosasa bragged of Zuma, NPA influence
Bosasa allegedly sponsored the Jacob Zuma Foundation to the tune of R300 000 a month, Agrizzi revealed during his testimony.
In exchange, Watson allegedly pushed Zuma to intervene at the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks to ensure that the corruption probe against Bosasa executives, based on the SIU investigation, would stall.
Former president Jacob Zuma is pictured here in an executive chef’s white jacket, embroidered with the Jacob Zuma Foundation and Bosasa logos, as well as Zuma’s clan name ‘Nxamalala’. News24 could not establish the names of the three chefs pictured with Zuma, but understands this was taken during one of the birthday bashes Bosasa sponsored for the then president.
Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson, who was recorded bragging about how he planned to lobby former president Zuma (centre) over the appointment of an NDPP, is pictured here showing Zuma something on his phone as Bosasa director Jackie Leyds looks on. This was snapped during Zuma’s visit to the Bosasa head office in Krugersdorp a day before his birthday in April 2015.
Comrades in arms
On Wednesday, News24 reported that Bosasa had sponsored 'war rooms' for the ANC's use during campaigns in the past three elections.
According to Bosasa sources, former communications minister Dina Pule was in charge of managing the war rooms on behalf of the ANC at Bosasa's Krugersdorp offices.
Pule was approached for comment on Tuesday, but read and ignored text messages.
Here Pule is pictured at Bosasa offices in an undated photograph:
On the same occasion, this picture of Pule with Bosasa director Trevor Mathenjwa was also snapped. The woman on the far right could not be immediately identified.
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