Cyril’s commission to investigate Sars mess

A wide-ranging commission of inquiry into tax administration and governance by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) under retired Justice Robert Nugent was announced yesterday by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

It follows a public spat between Ramaphosa and Sars commissioner Tom Moyane, the resignation of Jonas Makwakwa following a damning report by the Financial Intelligence Centre, and the high-level resignations from Sars followed by what many claimed to be false charges against three former employees.

All the aforementioned followed on the heels of the now discredited KPMG report, a seemingly faulty Sikhakhane report, and an apparent concerted effort by former Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza and Moyane to prosecute the three: former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay; Sars’s group executive of projects, evidence management and technical support Johann van Loggerenberg; and the first head of the national research unit, Andries “Skollie” Janse van Rensburg.

Nugent – assisted by Michael Katz, advocate Mabongi Masilo, and Vuyo Kahla – has until September 30 to submit his first report, and November 30 for the final report.

It gives the inquiry 135 working days to investigate and report back on myriad subjects.

And Van Loggeren can assist the commission, he said.

“I have been on record since 2014, stating there were multiple persons with nefarious agendas behind the initial attack on me, later on against other former and current Sars officials, a small investigative unit and ultimately on the institution itself, with others joining the fray as time moved on.”

Van Loggerenberg said the attacks had taken on a discernible pattern of slanderous, false and ever-morphing allegations, usually leaked to the media.

“I have always maintained that the so-called ‘panels’ assigned to ‘investigate’ and their subsequent ‘findings’ (the Sikhakane report, the Kroon advisory board statement and the KPMG report) were all profoundly flawed.

“My hope is that this commission will do what none of these did: unearth the truth and hold those behind it all accountable.”

Read the full interview online