President Cyril Ramaphosa terminates appointment of SARS commissioner
The Acting Commissioner for SARS remains in place until such time as the vacancy of National Commissioner is filled.
YESTERDAY, President Cyril Ramaphosa terminated, with immediate effect, the appointment of Mr Tom Moyane as Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
This follows the recommendation made by the SARS Commission chaired by Judge Robert Nugent that immediate action is needed to forestall any further deterioration of the tax administration system.
In a letter to Mr Moyane, President Ramaphosa said the interim report of the Nugent Commission “paints a deeply concerning picture of the current state of SARS and the reckless mismanagement which characterised your tenure as Commissioner of SARS.”
“Of further, and in many ways greater, concern is your refusal to meaningfully participate in the SARS Commission in order to assist with identifying the root causes of the systemic failures at SARS and ways in which to arrest these,” he said.
President Ramaphosa also indicated in his letter that the representations submitted by Mr Moyane in response to the recommendations of the Nugent Commission fail entirely to deal with the substantive issues the report raises.
“The interim report makes clear that there is considerable evidence, which the SARS Commission gathered, indicating that in order to resolve the challenges at SARS, it would be best to terminate your services,” he said.
Corruption Watch welcomes Moyane dismissal
Corruption Watch welcomes President Ramaphosa’s bold and decisive action in firing SARS Commissioner, Tom Moyane.
This follows a parade of witnesses before the Nugent Commission of Enquiry, all of whom have testified to the catastrophic consequences of Moyane’s corrupt and incompetent leadership of this vital institution.
Corruption Watch executive director, David Lewis, commented: “We firmly believe that appointees at Moyane’s level – and this would include cabinet ministers and the CEOs of state owned enterprises – serve at the pleasure of the President.
Not only does the President have the right to fire someone at this level of the public service, but also he has a positive duty to do so when he loses confidence in the ability and integrity of one of his appointees. This is clearly part of the President’s constitutional obligation to defend the vital interests of all those who live in South Africa.”
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