Cash bribes were called “monopoly money,” and handed out to high-ranking members of South Africa’s governing party on monthly retainers. When that payoff wasn’t enough, $22,000 was stuffed into a Louis Vuitton handbag and delivered to a close ally of the president at the time.

That sent the recipient “over the moon,” according to Angelo Agrizzi, a businessman — and now whistle-blower — who detailed, at a continuing government inquiry into public corruption, extravagant bribes doled out to members of the party, the African National Congress, at the highest levels of government.

A current government minister, he testified, liked receiving an annual Christmas basket that included “four cases of high-quality whiskey, 40 cases of beer, eight lambs — cut up, obviously.” Her daughter was partial to high-end convertibles, Audi A3 Cabriolets, but kept crashing the cars given to her.

“So I actually called her in one day and sat her down and said, ‘Can I arrange for driver training, special driver training for you,’ because it was getting embarrassing,” Mr. Agrizzi said.