We welcome the suspension of Jonas Makwakwa from SARS

15 September 2016

We welcome the news that South African Revenue Service Commissioner, Tom Moyane, has suspended the Chief Officer of Business, Individual Taxes and Digital Information Systems, Jonas Makwakwa, who allegedly received“suspicious and unusual payments” in the amount of R1.2 million between 2010 and 2016.

We are concerned about what appears to have been an undue delay in dealing with this matter, not least because it was raised with Tom Moyane at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance on 23 August 2016.

We must now determine whether, in dealing with this matter, Tom Moyne, acted correctly and in the best interests of the South African Revenue Service.

We do not have all the facts at this stage and I have, therefore, submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, concerning the handling of the allegations surrounding the “suspicious and unusual payments” scandal at the South African Revenue Service.

Whatever the case the suspension of Jonas Makwakwa is likely to dent the already dented reputation of the South African Revenue Service.

Issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 15 September 2016