Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan has questioned the timing of the issuing of summons by the Hawks and the manner in which the matter was handled.
Gordhan, together with former senior management officials from the South African Revenue Services (Sars), Oupa Magashule and Ivan Pillay are accused of fraud for their alleged involvement in securing an early retirement payment for Pillay.
Gordhan, who was addressing delegates at the open tender seminar hosted by the Gauteng Provincial Government at Gallagher Convention Centre on 11 October, had to divert a bit from his speech and talk about the news that broke just as proceedings were about to begin. “An hour ago or so, there has been news spreading around that this entity called the Hawks are at it again.”
Gordhan told delegates that he received a call from his family earlier, alerting him that Brigadier Nyameka Xaba from the Hawks was at his house to hand over a summons to him. With Gordhan not being home, the Hawks official then proceeded to the treasury.
Read: Pravin Gordhan defies HAWKS
“The Hawks know who my lawyers are. That’s from over 10 years and they have interacted with them for months now. They should have approached my lawyers and an arrangement would have been made for me to meet and receive the summons,” said Gordhan.
Not having found the minister at home, the Hawks official then proceeded to the treasury where, according to a statement by Gordhan’s lawyers, Gildenhuys Malatji, summonses were handed there.
Gordhan also criticised the timing of the issuing of the summons. “You, as the public, need to ask yourselves what is this matter that is [so] urgent that requires us, as country, 15 days before the delivery of the medium-term budget policy statement to take centre stage. Remember the last time, it was just before and after the February budget.
“There’s something attractive about the budgets. What is it about this country? Both at the political level and the law enforcement agencies. Who chooses these times to do these things?”
The minister shared that he has just come back from talking with investors and assured them that things in the country were improving.
Gordhan wrapped up by telling delegates that this was a moment that South Africans should ask: “Who are the Hawks or these few people in the Hawks serving, where do they get their political instruction from and for what purpose?”
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The minister together with his co-accused will appear in the Regional Court in Pretoria on 2 November on fraud charges.
Addressing a media briefing on 11 October, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shaun Abrahams said the trio were being charged on three counts in respect of R1.1 million for allegedly misrepresenting the government insurance fund and Sars.
Pillay was entitled to full pension benefits but not a severance package, as it was only implemented for transformation initiatives. According to Abrahams, Magashula was advised that a severance package was not applicable, but it was allegedly approved nonetheless. Abrahams alleged that as soon as Pillay’s retirement was implemented, he entered into a five-year contract with Sars, which was extended by Gordhan.
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