Tom Moyane | |
|---|---|
 Former SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane at theZondo Commission in March 2019 | |
| Born | (1953-01-31)January 31, 1953 (age 72) |
| Occupation | Economist |
Thomas Moyane (born 31 January 1953) is a South African developmenteconomist and former commissioner of theSouth African Revenue Service (SARS).[citation needed]
Moyane was born in 1953 inSoweto, a township outsideJohannesburg.[1] His father was aMozambican immigrant who worked on themines.[1] After finishing high school, Moyane worked as a clerk before moving toTurfloop to attend theUniversity of the North on a bursary. He returned to Soweto in June 1976, when the university was closed amid theSoweto uprising; he was detained and tortured byapartheid police in the ensuing state crackdown, and soon afterwards he went into exile in Mozambique.[1] He joined theAfrican National Congress (ANC), where he was known by thenom de guerre Tommy Ndhlela, Ndhlela being his mother's maiden name.[1]
During his exile he worked for government departments in Mozambique andGuinea-Bissau.[2][3] After obtaining a BSc in Economics from theEduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique, he served as national commissioner of theDepartment of Correctional Services and chief executive of the Government Printing Works.[4] He had also been an advisor to the State Information Technology Agency.[5]
Moyane was appointed chief tax collector in September 2014.[6] During his tenure, Moyane had been heavily criticised for his financial management of SARS[7] and his treatment of a controversial investigation that saw the departure of 55 senior staff and managers from the organisation.[8] The 2017 bookThe President's Keepers claimed that Moyane's predecessor had begged South African PresidentJacob Zuma to submit tax returns before Zuma appointed Moyane, and described Moyane as a crony of Zuma.[9] SARS rejected the allegations in the book, threatened to sue its author[10] and lay criminal charges on the disclosure of confidential taxpayer information.[11]
These allegations and investigations led to his suspension on 19 March 2018 by South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa, who cited a need to "restore the credibility of SARS without delay" after Moyane's leadership compromised the organisational and financial position of SARS.[12] The suspension was enacted after Moyane had refused to step down voluntarily.[13] He was eventually fired on 1 November 2018 byPresident Cyril Ramaphosa on the recommendation of the SARS commission of inquiry's chair, retired judgeRobert Nugent.[14]
After his firing Moyane launched a "marathon" legal battle to get his job back.[15] After the North Gauteng High court on 11 December upheld his dismissal, theConstitutional Court dismissed Moyane's plea on 4 February as well, arguing that it "bears no reasonable prospect for success".[16]
On January 4, 2022, Part 1 of theZondo Commission Report on state capture was published. The report recommended that Moyane be charged with perjury for lying and providing false information to parliament in relation to his activities at SARS.[17]