Minister Gigaba must address Makwakwa’s continued presence at SARS
5 December 2017
Today, SARS confirmed to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance (SCOF) that Mr Jonas Makwakwa had his suspension lifted as from the 1st of November 2017. SARS also admitted that the suspension was lifted despite the fact that Makwakwa was, and still is, being investigated by SARS for possible tax evasion and/or violations of the Tax Administration Act (TAA).
This investigation follows the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) alerting SARS Commissioner, Tom Moyane, to suspicious amounts of money which ended up in Makwakwa and his girlfriend, Kelly-Ann Elskie’s bank accounts.
In light of SARS’s revelations today, the DA has written to Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba, in order to apprise him of the concerns surrounding Makwakwa’s continued presence at SARS and to ask if he believes that Makwakwa should be suspended from his duties at the revenue service until the investigations into his tax affairs as well as into his possible involvement in money laundering have been finalised.
It is mind-boggling how Monyane thought it wise to lift Makwakwa’s suspension despite him being at the centre of serious corruption allegations against him.