The Bosasa saga took an even uglier turn yesterday when the body of its founder and CEO Gavin Watson was found in a white Toyota Corolla which had slammed into a concrete bridge support near OR Tambo airport. From the damage, despite the curvy structure of the concourse, the car had been travelling at high speed.
Judging from a flurry on social media, some who accused Watson of masterminding a network of corruption are now pausing, even raising the possibility of foul play. As seems normal with Bosasa, each fresh development brings new questions. Because, in this case, the old chestnut of following the money brings answers that sit uncomfortably with the popular narrative.
Consider, also, that Watson’s body was still in the car. Such was the impact of this crash – a door was flung 30m – physics tell us a seatbelt-free body would have been tossed from the vehicle. Information I received yesterday said he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Also, Watson lived 75km away with no plans to fly anywhere. So why was he en route to the airport at 5am?
The Watson family has steadfastly maintained Gavin’s biggest fault was he trusted too easily. They say he abdicated responsibility for Bosasa’s operations to the team led by his accuser-in-chief, former COO Angelo Agrizzi. For his part Agrizzi says he needed to “tell all” after a near-death experience in 2016. Despite Watson’s passing, the real story is sure to emerge soon enough. Because there is nothing more powerful than the truth.
