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An attempt to absolve themselves of liability

Sadly in 2019 the Bosasa Group having changed their name to African Global Operations filed for voluntary liquidation in an attempt to cover up the financial irregularities committed from 2016. By filing for voluntary liquidation, this mechanism would have allowed Watson and the Directors to avert the impending investigations, more importantly not have to pay out retrenchment packages and notice to employees.

Employees received notices from the voluntary appointed liquidators, clearly indicating that they might be paid salaries, and that no packages would be offered. Angelo Agrizzi and the whistleblowers stymied the plan, and penned a last minute plea to the Master requesting the intervention.

Fortunately with the assistance of  Solidarity Human Resources intervention , Angelo and the whistle-blowers managed to ensure employees received fair and equitable retrenchment packages, salaries and all leave pay due to them.

Had the voluntary liquidation been upheld, employees would have lost leave pay, service pay and potentially much more.

The application for voluntary liquidation was a true comedy of errors. Initially all the Directors declared that they did not know what they were signing and then put in for the retraction of the voluntary liquidation.

Having been successful in retracting the voluntary liquidation, the offices and the directors spent the afternoon partying having won the retraction, very similar to celebrating scoring a self-goal.

What is not a laughing matter is that on the departure of myself on the 15^th December 2016, the available bank balance was in excess of R200 Million, with the company having posted healthy profits. Not only had the savings been dissipated over the next few months, but the company posted unprecedented losses. Even more strange was that Gavin Watson further posted himself a R5,2 Million bonus shortly before filing for voluntary liquidation.

Funds had been channelled into various entities that were not bona fide service providers. This amounted to well over R110 Million siphoned off. These included entities we pointed out to the liquidators and SARS, and yet seemingly nothing has happened. Some such as;

Supreme Vehicle R25 Million, Rushmere and Noach R25 Million, Potgieter R12 Million, Hyde R10 Million, LFP Strategic Partners R7,5 Million, Onica Property Projects R7,3 Million, lightserve Investments R5,5 Million, Mororoka Consultants R5,5 Million, Mansell American INC R3,6 Million, Destiny Management (Olifant and Gouws)3,6 Million,  Blue Crane Capital R3,550 Million, Sovereign Management Services R1,7 Million, LRM Property Holdings (Lindsay/Roth/ Megan) R1,6 Million, Tshiananeo Business Services R1,20 Million, Roeloff Botha R1,100 Million, African National Congress North West R1,00 Million, Muleso Financial Services R1,00 Million, Cherry Tax Consulting R900,000 .

This also explains the recording where R100 Million rand in R200 Notes is transported from Bosasa’s offices in Krugersdorp, in unmarked vehicles with livestock loaded to a certain premises in Port Elizabeth.

Analysing global and local events, Angelo annually sets his own standards of delivery which become his constant point of reference based on the following: uncompromised integrity, mission critical business responses to evolving events nationally and globally, service to the national interest for economic growth, localised community development in all provinces, resilience in a changing environment, job creation, education and innovation.

Leaning on the culture of high morale, productivity and loyalty he has created, he has cushioned the staff and the business against the fiscal crisis. This he has achieved with regular interaction, Company updates, wellness support, orientation to events in the global community, a commitment to streamlining services and emphasizing ‘a cycle of excellence and quality of delivery.

Motivated personnel willingly volunteer their traditional free time to ensure benchmarks have been met resulting in palpable evidence of integrated team work. The loyalty of personnel that Angelo Agrizzi commands towards his vision lends credence to both his signature and ability to translate strategy into reality. Personnel simply trust him.

As a self-taught business man, with a strong Italian heritage, Angelo believes that at any one time he is carrying a flag for his people, his staff, and the team. As such he knows that exemplary performance as a captain of industry is required of him adding to the existing prestige of Italy and the prowess of its own achievers who live in South Africa and make their unique contributions. He does not lose sight of his responsibilities to South Africa with this paradoxical and dual identity.

Agrizzi has been described as a visionary by his peer group ‘for seeing the world in a grain of sand’ and then acting on this.

With South Africa contributing only 0.01 per cent, he focused his attention on supporting the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries while developing a viable profitable business. A Biorganic’s company was born within the BOSASA Group, inspired by his long time compatriot Andries Van Tonder, the solution can be said to have fast tracked product development’ and created a world first in sustainable food supply in a secure uncontaminated environment.

This formula defies the global experience of unavoidable contamination providing solutions hitherto undiscovered by overseas scientists. Andries Van Tonder’s concept – Biorganic’s provides employment, career path development, poverty alleviation and provision of essential protein. This initiative is seen to be a significant and developing contributor to local and national economic growth.

In conjunction with a dynamic team both Andries Van Tonder and Angelo Agrizzi  helped to turn a fledgling security company, Dyambu, with an annual turnover of R 112,000,000 into a sophisticated risk management operation customised to most industry sectors, today known as the BOSASA Group of Companies. It boasted a significant turnover of R1,46 Billion.

Believing that innovation begins at home, the team has pioneered ‘home grown’ software by grooming a technology division into a sophisticated software development unit. This serves to promote knowledge management and the twelve main business units into a meaningful integrated whole.

This software has been extended to Full Facilities Management as well as the hospitality industry from which he has historical expertise. The exemplary nature of this software was subsequently recognised by Microsoft headquarters with an offer to purchase what they regarded as unique intellectual property adding value to their existing software stable.

Angelo and Andries Van Tonder has also honed Full Facilities management into an art and a science, declared as such by the leadership of Correctional Centres who have publicly celebrated this sustained service excellence.

Angelo has made himself an expert on key point security providing risk management services to Airports and once more he earned accolades for service excellence sharing this achievement with his team. High level training of risk management staff at the airports, and absence of corruption in their ranks has led to a dramatic reduction of crime (theft, money laundering, hijacking, mugging and terrorism, drug smuggling and substance abuse). An ongoing scholar of the nature of terrorism and its groups coupled to publication of his blogs on various terrorism subjects, has also earned him acknowledgement for counter terrorism endeavours in South Africa. This clearly is of global value with the borderless progress of terrorism and drug smuggling.

Angelo has ensured that any entry point ‘position’ or work, such as cleaning or gardening could lead to a university degree for anyone with aspirations and drive. The BOSASA Group has extensive examples of individuals who have entered the Group as general cleaners and gone on to become accountants, executives, auditors, lawyers and doctors.

The Group and its functional teams, under his leadership (BOSASA was the largest employer in the Mogale developing Metropolitan District by design) demonstrates heightened concern for the under privileged. They are known for taking vagrants and hawkers off the street, teaching them business skills, providing them with appropriate business resources and helping them provide for their families and often communities. Wherever he has initiated SMEE development skills and enterprises there is a measurable drop in crime.

Comments recorded below (in his work with offenders) are relevant to this paragraph. He is also actively engaged with community sports to keep the youth off the street, acquire disciplined thinking and healthy habits/outlooks. Resources for these sports as well as computer centres have been provided by the Group, under the aegis of his vision, for personal growth.

Despite a challenging schedule he finds time to mentor young employees into the bigger picture of running an organisation. He has been on the founding team of the Corporate Academy which provided a wide range of short and long courses, and academic supervision of staff studying for degrees.

Personnel had free access to programmes which inspire them to achieve their potential and advance their careers. The courses are scoped for lateral movement in BOSASA should they wish to pursue alternative careers.

Innovation is encouraged by giving personnel who understand Group policy and culture the freedom and support to develop viable ideas to market entry level. Most of the Group’s intellectual property and unique software is the result of this philosophy.

To ensure high morale, overall health and wellbeing, a Wellness Division was created, run by professionals. The breadth of services offered by this Division lends testimony to Angelo’s knowledge of local and global events: primary care (chronic disease monitoring), financial counselling, psychotherapy, advanced study methods, scientific research and legal counselling by qualified staff trained in aspects of law and bereavement counselling.

Angelo has ensured that this service is offered to extended families of employees should any disruption within the family, illness or death compromise the wellbeing of members of staff. It is not unusual for neighbours of staff to be counselled as well, should death in the family be the result of violence, thereby unsettling the community as they grieve their loss and attempt to recover from shock. Family members who aspire to achieve are assisted with career path counselling and support resources as they seek bursaries for various educational institutes.

For twelve years this manifested in a successful project where he set himself three criteria: the reduction of crime, employment creation, and meaningful skills development.

Trading on his own skillset and knowledge he has pursued a line of community and individual development where he has proof of concept.

Social stigma has been a contributory cause of this normative corporate ‘avoidance’ behaviour. The South African ‘prison’ environment is unique and relative to the high crime rate, unemployment, illiteracy and nature of offences. Noting the nature of several academic research papers in which it is reported that 80 percent of prisoners in South African Correctional Centres are illiterate, undernourished, come from underprivileged backgrounds and are ‘groomed’ into crime, he undertook to drive meaningful change.

Offenders, in conflict with the law and therefore incarcerated are deprived of liberties that most people take for granted. Lack of budget, skilled personnel, and the complex nature of South African prisons has led to thousands of offenders being compromised health wise. High density living in a cell due to high crime rates and concomitant incarceration statistics leads to existing health conditions being adversely affected and the acquisition of other diseases. Mental health issues are also central to imprisonment.

Hlumani is a project started by Angelo at Pollsmoor whereby Correctional Centre available land is converted for agricultural purposes. Offenders are taught sustainable farming and they produce crops from which the Correctional Centre benefits as a fresh produce supply. These skills too are marketable and ‘life’ self-sustaining when parole is attained. It also promotes individual pride and self-esteem, essential for a crime free life.

Using his vast experience in the hospitality industry, Angelo had acquired and installed (at great expense) state of the art equipment for the aging ‘prison kitchens’. With modern equipment offenders are taught to become chefs and cooks through accredited and registered training programmes in partnership with the SA Chefs Association (HTA School of Culinary Arts). This is a national first.

These individuals as products of Angelo’s education and skills development drive have gone on to become employed in leading South African hotels and restaurants. Many have started their own entrepreneurial operations providing professional level catering to industry and their own communities. The quality of this training in a high-risk environment with sustained positive results has earned Angelo and his team global and local acclaim.

With his oversight, Bosasa contributed R 70 Million to meaningful social responsibility programmes. As could be  seen, none of these were ‘wallpaper’. There was genuine commitment and engagement with every project and each of these is publicly visible and acclaimed for its integrity and authenticity. Angelo visited all sites regularly to ensure quality control. He was literally ‘hands-on.’

Angelo has helped to drive early child development programmes. This has national consequence and is now a serious participant in promoting the education of children in South Africa. He has worked with a group of communities in Orange Farm, and has inspired various groups to now support this project by educating teachers, introducing innovative practices, computer training and essential infrastructure, food and nutrition training from experts in the field.

Book Three – “Dealing with the BOARDROOM Beast”

When we started out on the journey, we had made a commitment to each other, that we would remain true to each other in every respect, that we would tell our story without embellishment, fear OR favour. Most importantly that we would defend the weaker ones from the bullies – especially the corporate ones.

A sequel to the first two books is due, it’s a book that explains the fears the emotions and the determination by a unique grouping of guys committed to setting the wrongs right.

The book is intended to offer a simplistic but holistic approach in dealing with the day to day management of what we aptly termed the “Board Room Beasts” , the bullies, the narcissist, the power mongrels, the Papa’s, the Lindies that make getting up and making a difference in a company a nightmare.

With the clever application of some simple planning, loaded points and specially sweetened suggestions one has the tools to disarm the most veracious “Board Room Beast” and most importantly allow the truth to prevail.

We have always maintained that the cream ultimately rises to the top, this guide has assisted in not only building a solid operational management resource, but has always proven effective in dealing with rough decision making and what we call “contraceptive” boards, those who seemingly are very busy but never yield results..