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Johannesburg - Retired Constitutional Court judge Zak Yacoob has been appointed to probe allegations of impropriety involving Sars commissioner Oupa Magashula, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Tuesday.
"I took this step to ensure transparency and to protect the integrity of Sars which is a crucial fiscal institution that is highly respected within and outside South Africa," Gordhan said in a statement.
Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane would assist Yacoob.
In a transcript of a recording published in the City Press newspaper last month, Magashula appeared to offer a job to an associate of a convicted drug dealer. Magashula told the woman the SA Revenue Service paid very well and offered a variety of experiences.
Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay later confirmed the authenticity of the recording, in which Magashula and convicted drug dealer Panganathan Marimuthu allegedly offered the woman a job. Lackay later told City Press the woman was never given a job at Sars.
Yacoob and Sikhakhane would investigate whether there were any breaches of Sars processes or good governance. They would report on the nature of any possible indiscretion by Magashula, if any.
They would report on whether Marimuthu had any influence over Sars and Magashula, and advise on any appropriate remedies where breaches had occurred. The report was expected to be submitted within two months, Gordhan said.
