‘Sars being intimidated not to do its work’ – Kathrada Foundation [VIDEO]

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has reaffirmed its commitment to support and protect whistleblowers against targeted retaliation.

On Thursday, civil society organisations and several NGOs, led by Defend Our Democracy, picketed outside the Sars head office.

Sars deputy commissioner Johnstone Makhubu, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Whistleblower House and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse also joined the protest.

Watch Phumla Williams speaking at the Sars picket

[WATCH] "SARS is being intimidated not to do its work. If we keep quiet, this will be the beginning of us having a mafia state." Ahmed Kathrada Foundation's Phumla Williams speaks at the march to SARS offices in solidarity with Adv. Coreth Naude who survived an assassination… pic.twitter.com/8Pce7Dr1ZD

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 29, 2024

Assassination attempt

The picket was sparked by the recent assassination attempt on Sars Advocate Coreth Naude.

Naudé was shot three times while arriving at her hotel parking lot in Durban North, near the Gateway shopping center, last month.

ALSO READ: Sars advocate shot three times in assassination attempt in KZN

At the time of the shooting, she was representing SARS in a tax inquiry involving controversial businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize, her company Royal AM Football Club, and other entities.

Sars being ‘intimidated’

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Phumla Williams said Sars was being “intimidated” not to do its work.

“We will not keep quiet. We have to call it out for what it is. It’s people who are greedy, who just want money for themselves, and we as South Africans, if we keep quiet, this will be the beginning of us having a mafia state.

“We are here to say, Sars, do your work without any intimidation. And let us call all South Africans who are taxpayers to do the right thing and pay their taxes. And we want to say all South Africans who support the work of this country, and protect the democracy that we have,” Williams said.

Babita Deokaran

Last week, as friends and family laid wreaths outside the Mondeor home of slain Gauteng senior government official Babita Deokaran in Johannesburg, organs of civil society said South Africa remained unsafe for whistleblowers.

Deokaran has been lauded for being a bulwark against corruption.

The chief director of the provincial health department, Deokaran was shot at least 12 times on 23 August, 2021 outside her home.

This occurred after she raised the alarm about fraud and corruption at Tembisa Hospital, amounting to R850 million. She spoke out following reports of suspicious payments to multiple businesses.

Six men – Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla – were arrested for her murder.

After a plea agreement with the state, they pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to varying jail terms relating to their roles in the murder.

Additional reporting by Brian Sokutu

ALSO READ: Whistle-blowers still not safe a year after Deokaran killing