Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      World Bank set to back South Africa’s big energy grid roll-out

      20 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Current affairs » Management shambles leaves Sars in disarray

    Management shambles leaves Sars in disarray

    By Agency Staff19 October 2018
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    The South African Revenue Service, once one of the nation’s most effective institutions, is in dire straits after more than four years of shambolic management by commissioner Tom Moyane, evidence presented to a judicial commission of inquiry shows.

    The tax agency has repeatedly missed its collection targets since then-President Jacob Zuma appointed Moyane in September 2014, placing the state’s finances at risk and eroding investor confidence. South Africa’s new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, suspended Moyane in March and appointed a panel headed by retired Judge Robert Nugent to investigate his time in office when he fired or reassigned about 200 senior managers and halted a systems overhaul.

    A climate of fear and distrust continues to prevail at Sars, which is dogged by low morale and a lack of investment in training and new technology, Mark Kingon, the agency’s acting commissioner, told the panel in Pretoria on Friday.

    Our executive leadership is broken and unstable and wracked by division

    “I remain, even today, very concerned about the health of our organisation,” he said. “Our executive leadership is broken and unstable and wracked by division.”

    Moyane was closely allied to Zuma, who was forced to quit in February under pressure from the ANC after a scandal-marred tenure that lasted almost nine years. Opposition parties have accused Moyane of deliberately weakening the tax agency to protect senior politicians who failed to declare all their income.

    Moyane denies any wrongdoing and has challenged both the legitimacy of Nugent’s commission and his suspension in court.

    Nugent said in an interim report released on Tuesday that Moyane was guilty of “reckless mismanagement” and should be immediately dismissed.

    Technology upgrades halted

    Moyane’s decision to halt a modernisation drive resulted in the degeneration of the tax agency’s systems as technology advanced, and his restructuring of its operating model benefited delinquent taxpayers, Nugent said.

    He also accused Moyane of gutting Sars of its experienced senior management, destroying its large business centre and damaging its relationships with other state institutions and international bodies.

    “The day Mr Moyane took office was a calamity for Sars. Almost immediately, and then continuously for the next 18 months, Sars was thrown into turmoil, with tragic consequences for the lives of many people, tragic consequences for the reputation of Sars and tragic consequences for the country at large,” Nugent said. “We stress that the replacement of Mr Moyane is not a panacea, but only the first necessary measure without which there is no possibility of rectifying the damage that has been done to Sars.”

    Kingon said that despite the damage done to the tax agency, it still has committed employees and continues to function. While significant investment is needed to prevent the collapse of the electronic tax filing system, that risk isn’t imminent, he said.

    “This situation is not totally bleak,” Kingon said. “The time is to move on. We cannot afford a mess at Sars as a country. To go back to where we were would be a disaster.”  — Reported by Mike Cohen, (c) 2018 Bloomberg LP



    Cyril Ramaphosa Jacob Zuma Mark Kingon Sars Tom Moyane top
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleTelkom takes steps to implement new Icasa regulations
    Next Article Rain open to roaming deal ‘with any operator’

    Related Posts

    Telecoms operators back BEE reforms – but warn against favouritism

    5 June 2025

    Starlink storm: BEE reforms fuel tensions in Ramaphosa’s GNU

    26 May 2025

    Sita says it welcomes SIU corruption probe

    26 May 2025
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.