Culture of fear at SARS, with bugs and cameras everywhere, inquiry hears
27 June 2018
Listening devices and cameras were planted all over the SARS offices in Pretoria after Tom Moyane was appointed as commissioner in 2014, the SARS commission of inquiry heard on day two of proceedings.
The first witness, Sobantu Ndlangalavu told the inquiry that a “culture of fear” prevailed at the institution and that employees no longer felt trusted, and in turn, trusted very few.
Ndlangalavu was asked to testify before the commission due to his extensive career at SARS. He was first appointed in 2001 as an internal communications manager. He describes this position as integral to the transformation of SARS under former commissioner Pravin Gordhan.
Thereafter he was appointed in 2008 to head up the Small Business Tax Amnesty drive, which sought to approach small black owned businesses who were never part of the tax base during Apartheid and later, as an executive responsible for 290 staff that educated the country’s previously disadvantaged on tax and SARS.