EFF still going for Gordhan

The red berets are baying for Pravin Gordhan’s blood again and this time they want the public enterprises minister fired in the wake of his evidence at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture this week.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say Gordhan “admitted” to the existence of a “mafia-run” unit at the South African Revenue Services (Sars).

But that’s not exactly how it went down.

Gordhan took the stand to be cross-examined by former Sars commissioner Tom Moyane’s advocate, Dali Mpofu, on Monday, when he confirmed the existence of what was initially the special projects unit and later the high-risk investigations unit – better known as the Sars “rogue unit” – during his time as commissioner at the revenue service.

He also confirmed his involvement in its establishment.

And he maintained the unit was perfectly legal.

The EFF said in a statement on Monday that Gordhan had conceded “a unit that was initially to be under the National Intelligence Agency [NIA] found place within Sars and was designed to survey and trace activities of persons covertly”.

The party said this revealed Gordhan as “a man characterised by unlawfulness and thuggery” – and demanded he be removed from Cabinet “on charges of espionage for turning Sars into a spy unit”.

However, in 2016, then Hawks boss Lieutenant-Berning Ntlemeza sent the minister a now infamous list of 27 questions.

Gordhan said in a statement then that it had become apparent to Sars it had to “enhance the capacity to gather intelligence and investigate organised crime”.

“It decided in about February 2007 a unit to penetrate and intercept the activities of tax- and customs-related crime syndicates.

“Its initial intention was to employ and train members of the unit and then to transfer them to NIA where they would continue to function as a unit dedicated to Sars,” the statement read.

Mpofu read that statement on Monday and Gordhan indicated he stood by it.