Not everyone is a fan of Edward Kieswetter’s appointment to take the commissioner’s hotseat at the South African Revenue Service (Sars), with opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), already looking at legal options to have his appointment overturned.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Wednesday that former Sars deputy commissioner, Edward Kieswetter, would lead the revenue service for the next five years, replacing acting Sars commissioner, Mark Klingon, on May 1 this year.
But now the EFF and the advocacy group, Right2Know, are questioning the transparency of the interviewing and appointment process.
Right2Know’s Allison Tilley said in a statement: “We think that it’s really time that we look at a standard process for these kinds of appointments so that we don’t keep having the argument over and over again as to how appointments should be conducted.”
Yet Ramaphosa stands by the choice, asserting that National Treasury is “confident” that the selection process that was undertaken has integrity, that all necessary disclosures were made and no conflicts of interest have been identified throughout this process.
This was in line with the recommendation of the Commission of Inquiry into Tax Administration and Governance by Sars chaired by retired Judge Robert Nugent, added Ramaphosa. He said Kieswetter had emerged as the strongest candidate, based on his past experience as deputy commissioner for Sars between 2004 and 2009, his subsequent track record of transformative leadership, and his experience of turning around a large institution.
Former finance minister, Trevor Manuel – who chaired the panel appointed by National Treasury to conduct interviews for the position of Sars commissioner – has hit back at the EFF, demanding a retraction of their statement that the process was conducted in secret.
Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, also expressed full confidence in Kieswetter’s appointment. “I expect him to act without fear or favour, to restore and defend the integrity of Sars, and to uphold taxpayer rights when carrying out his duties as the commissioner, by implementing the recommendations of the Nugent Commission and restoring Sars to a world-class organisation,” Mboweni said.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday welcomed the appointment with its spokesperson on finance, Alf Lees, saying the opposition party wished Kieswetter well on the “mammoth task” to repair the broken institution.
He added that the DA would continue to monitor all developments at Sars “as we fight to make sure it is a well-functioning institution”.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) hailed the appointment as a “step in the right direction” with the executive head: national government division, Heinrich Volmink, pointing out that it was “imperative” that Kieswetter focused on long-term solutions that would elevate the country’s economy and public confidence.
Business journalist Bruce Whitfield said in a tweet that the appointment of Kieswetter was “smart and astute”.
“Acting commissioner Mark Kingon is a strong technocrat, but the job requires someone who can navigate the politics,” said Whitfield.
