- SA Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner-Designate Dr Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu has vowed to uphold good governance and accountability at SARS.
- He emphasised his personal values, and his belief that SARS is vital for SA’s democracy.
- The gains at SARS over the past years is not the result of one person, but it is good that there is leadership continuity, retiring Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said.
- For more financial news, visit News24 Business.
He has been witness to the “huge effort it takes to rebuild” an institution following the “devastating effect of poor governance”.
Therefore, he brings a “strong conviction” to safeguard and continue to improve the SA Revenue Service (SARS), said Dr Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu at a media conference held Saturday morning at the SARS office in Woodmead, Gauteng.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday announced that Makhubu, currently one of SARS’s three Deputy Commissioners, will take over the role of Commissioner from retiring Commissioner Edward Kieswetter on 1 May. He was the favourite for the job.
“I am humbled and honoured to be trusted with the leadership of this august organisation, one of the crown jewels of our democracy,” Makhubu said.
He said the “higher purpose of SARS resonates personally with me and the values I hold” – including fairness, honesty, meritocracy and respect. Makhubu is a pastor at Hope Restoration Ministries.
READ | Meet the new SARS boss: An independent thinker who’s also a pastor with a PhD
Casually calling himself a “social runner”, Makhubu said he is training for his ninth Comrades ultramarathon, in June, having already “enjoyed the torture of eight Comrades marathons”.
He was born in Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, the last of seven children. He is married to Nomthandazo; they have two children, a daughter and a son.
Makhubu said the SA Revenue Service effectively funds South Africa’s democracy and, at its core, is about “changing lives”, especially of the most vulnerable citizens.
He said that over the past three years, it has been Kieswetter’s focus to plan the leadership succession at SARS. It has been a key emphasis of the Nugent commission of inquiry into what went wrong at SARS under suspended Commissioner Tom Moyane.
“We know [leadership transitions] do not fail because people are not capable, but because focus is lost in the final handover,” said Makhubu, saying he will continue to focus on SARS’s “strategic playbook”, which is “founded on sound global benchmarks and sound academic advice”.
Part of his focus will remain on combating the illicit economy and modernising SARS.
His tax target for the new tax year is an ambitious R2.13 billion.
Kieswetter still holding the reins
Kieswetter emphasised that he remains in charge and accountable at SARS until 31 April, and that Makhubu will at a later date set out his plans in more detail. Kieswetter said keeping his hands on the reins means there will be “no overlap in authority and no ambiguity” about who is accountable.
However, he will then “very generously and eagerly” hand over all control as he retires. Kieswetter’s contract has already been extended by two years – he had initially wanted to retire in 2024.
Makhubu expressed his gratitude to Kieswetter for his “exemplary leadership and mentorship”, and joked that he hoped to continue the tradition of open conversations between some former and current SARS commissioners – “if he will let me”.
Kieswetter said SARS is stable and performing well against its mandates. The more than R2 trillion in tax collected during the past tax year – as announced on 1 April – was not due to economic tailwinds or short-term cyclical factors. It was also not the work of a single individual. “The gains are structural and institutional, and therefore sustainable.” Kieswetter expressed trust in SARS’s “engaged and professional workforce committed unequivocally to public service”.
“Of course, by our own standards, we’ll tell you we have a long way to go, and that is why leadership continuity is important.”
He thanked Ramaphosa and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for an appointment that he believed to be “in the best interest of the country”, since “institutional memory [was] needed for stability and accountability.”
He has worked alongside Makhubu for seven years and is confident in his abilities.
“Let me be clear that this transition is therefore an important but necessary transition that will not disrupt the organisation.”
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