JOHANNESBURG - Bosasa's security firm, GTS, on Friday was fired from providing security services to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
This comes after City Press newspaper last year published an article in which it stated that GTS had been appointed or contracted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to provide security services to the commission, which is chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
The newspaper questioned how a subsidiary of Bosasa - which had allegedly bribed government officials to secure tenders - was appointed or contracted to provide services to the Commission in light of the corruption allegations.
There were also allegations that procurement procedures were not followed in granting the contract.
In a statement on Friday, the commission's acting secretary, Peter Pedlar, said Zondo undertook to look into how GTS was providing services to the commission through a forensic investigation.
During that period, GTS was stopped from providing security services to the Commission until the investigation was completed.
Pedlar said the allegations made in the City Press article made it necessary to establish who had been responsible for getting GTS to provide services to the Commission and whether procurement requirements had been complied with and, if they were not complied with, what the explanation was for such non-compliance.
He said the commission and the department agreed that procurement procedures were not followed in regard to GTS, but that the minister of justice would in due course inform the public in greater detail of the outcome of the investigation.
"In the light of GTS's connection to Bosasa and the fact that over many years there had been continuing allegations of corruption against Bosasa, GTS should not have been appointed or contracted or brought in to provide services to the Commission while those allegations remained unresolved," Pedlar's statement read.
"GTS is, as of now, no longer providing any services to the commission and was asked to remove its equipment from the premises of the Commission. GTS is now taking steps to remove its equipment from the premises of the commission."
Meanwhile, the liquidator on Friday took charge of Bosasa Operations, now African Global Operations, after the group filed for liquidation on Monday following the closure of its bank accounts due to reputation risk.