Johannesburg -The SA Revenue Service (Sars) should not take
orders from opposition parties, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) said on Tuesday.
However, if Sars decided to investigate a complaint from the
Democratic Alliance against ANCYL leader
Julius Malema it would cooperate, spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said.
"This is because the ANC Youth League is of strong
conviction that all South Africans should live honest and corruption-free
lifestyles and be at all times ready to account on the resources they have
access to.
"The ANC Youth League supports Sars activities and
decisions on any matter unconditionally, and believes that their decisions on
who to conduct investigations and lifestyle audits on will never be a result of
political instructions and ventilations of particularly racist political
parties," said Shivambu.
Democratic Alliance MP Dianne Kohler Barnard said on Tuesday
that she had sent a letter to Sars to request that Malema's financial affairs
be investigated.
Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay could not immediately
confirm this. He said earlier that if such a request was received,
"obviously we will consider it and establish the merits in the claims that
the MP will make, and then we will proceed from there".
In the letter, a copy of which was sent to Sapa, Kohler
Barnard says: "I am writing to you to express my concern at reports that
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema is building a home worth R16m in Sandown,
Johannesburg.
"This comes alongside other reports of excessively high
expenditure; including reports that Mr Malema settled a bill of R78 000 in cash
at a luxury game lodge.
"Mr Malema alleges that his net ANC Youth League salary
is his sole income and that is approximately R20 000 a month. This poses grave
questions regarding whether or not Mr Malema’s finances are above board."
The Sunday Independent reported at the weekend that Malema
was building a R16m mansion in Sandown. The house would reportedly include a
secure basement where he could hide in case of an attack.
Kohler Barnard said: "Numerous questions are being
asked about his conspicuous consumption – such as which bank has lent him R16m
when he states that his income is just R20 000p/m, or alternatively, which
individual has given him that money, and under what finance regulations would
such a donation be legal?"