By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The SA Revenue Service (SARS) will appeal against court ruling reinstating two executives who were fired during global consultancy Bain & Company’s controversial restructuring of the tax authority.
Johannesburg Labour Court acting Judge Smanga Sethene ruled on Monday that the dismissals of Hope Mashilo and Tshebeletso Seremane were unfair.
The matter relates to an incident that dates back to 2015 during the tenure of the former Commissioner, Tom Moyane.
In a statement on Wednesday, SARS said: “After studying the judgment, SARS, on the advice of counsel, has opted to note an appeal against the above judgment.
“SARS believes that the court made a material error in arriving at its conclusion. In this regard, SARS believes that another court will come to a different conclusion, given what is at issue.”
SARS said it was not commenting further on the matter. It remains unclear why the tax body was trying to stand-by a decision made during Moyane’s controversial tenure.
Earlier in August the UK Cabinet office banned Bain from tendering for government contracts, saying it considered the consultancy guilty of “grave professional misconduct” in South Africa. This was done at the urging of Lord Peter Hain, a former UK Cabinet minister.