‘Kroon owes all of us an apology’

Former South African Revenue Services (Sars) group executive for tax and customs enforcement investigations Johann van Loggerenberg writes:

I have noted the utterances of Judge Frank Kroon under oath before the Sars Commission of Inquiry, four years later after the fact.

I would like to firstly thank Judge Kroon for making the concessions he did, albeit late in the day, and only because of the existence of the commission. It was probably not easy to do so.

Having said this, I believe Judge Kroon should have spoken out sooner.

As jurist, he didn’t need a commission of inquiry to have to do so. But as my mother always said: “better late than never”.

I believe this goes some way towards vindicating the 26 officials (past and current) who have been publicly tarred and feathered so incessantly for many years.

I hope this brings some peace to them, their families and friends. I hope it brings an end to the referral to the unit as “rogue” or “so-called rogue”.

The handful of officials of that unit did the country a great service to make it better for all that live in it, under difficult circumstances and with little resources at hand.

I have noted Judge Kroon’s stated apology to Minister Pravin Gordhan. This is all good and well, but I believe such apology should perhaps be extended to the other people that were also harmed.

I want to remind Judge Kroon that I wrote to him, on two occasions during 2015, asking to be heard, one such request which was simply ignored, and the second, warranting the reply: “I shall revert if necessary”.

Judge Kroon never “reverted” to me, and I must assume therefore that at the time and ever since then, he did not consider doing so as “necessary”.

My e-mail address hasn’t changed, nor has my phone number.

I can also assist Judge Kroon with the contact details of the 26 people and their families and other people who have been harmed as a result of the Kroon Advisory Board statement – should he be inclined to consider apologising to them too.

I call upon the other members of the Kroon Advisory Board to follow their former chairperson and do what is right.

You owe it to the country and its citizens and those harmed.

Above all, you owe it to yourselves as professionals.

I would like to firstly thank Judge Kroon for making the concessions he did, albeit late in the day, and only because of the existence of the commission.