Moyane rejects request by Ramaphosa to resign

SARS commissioner Tom Moyane has refused after he was asked to resign by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Dispatch's sister publication, Business Day reported this afternoon that it understands that Ramaphosa asked Moyane to resign on Sunday night‚ but Moyane said he would not do so citing the upcoming revenue results announcement as a reason.

According to sources‚ canvassed by Business Day Moyane intended using the results announcement to show his success as commissioner despite the tough economic climate.

With a R48bn hole in revenue collection piles further pressure on Moyane‚ particularly as his leadership and handling of the allegations against his second in charge Jonas Makwakwa comes under increased scutiny by Parliament's standing committee on finance.

The Presidency‚ contacted for comment on Monday‚ would not confirm or deny that the President had a discussion with Moyane.

This comes on the cusp of an announcement by Moody's on Friday this week over whether SA's investment status would be downgraded.

SARS on Monday issued a statement saying that Moyane was being villified unnecessarily by the media.

Moyane last week announced the resignation of Makwakwa‚ after the SARS commissioner had shielded him for over a year. Moyane was presented with a Financial Intelligence Centre report into suspicious and unusual transactions into Makwakwa's personal bank accounts and that of his partner Kelly-Anne Elskie in May 2016. After a year-long investigation by international law firm Hogan Lovells‚ Makwakwa was cleared of all charges and returned to work after being suspended for over a year in December last year.

Makwakwa resigned last week after it was revealed that one of the companies channelling money into his personal bank accounts was appointed as a debt collector by SARS.