[4][5] Watson and his brothers grew up on a farm near Somerset East, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa where his father was a lay preacher who preached racial equality during apartheid.
[8] During this time Watson befriended and made many connections with African National Congress (ANC) members who would go on to serve in the post-apartheid government of South Africa.
[14] In January 2019, former Bosasa Chief Operating Officer (COO), Angelo Agrizzi, while testifying at the State Capture Inquiry, implicated Watson and many senior government officials in serious allegations of corruption and money laundering.
[4][5] Watson died in a car accident early on 26 August 2019 when the company Toyota Corolla he was driving struck a pillar on an approach road leading to O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
[19] The governing African National Congress described him as an "anti-apartheid activist", while the official opposition Democratic Alliance called for a transparent investigation into his death.