By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana says the President has already selected SA Revenue Services (SARS) commissioner to take over from 1 May 2026.
He was speaking during the announcement of preliminary revenue collection results for the 2025/26 financial year on Wednesday.
“The new Commissioner is going to be appointed soon,” Godongwana said, adding that the timing could be “any time from tomorrow to next week.”
The selection panel was led by former minister Nhlanhla Nene. They have conducted interviews.
Godongwana favours Johnstone Makhubu to take over as commissioner of the tax agency.
Makhubu has been deputy commissioner of taxpayer engagement at SARS since 2023, when he was appointed along with two other deputies.
Kieswetter is due to step down as commissioner at the end of April. Appointed in May 2019, his five-year term was extended by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2024 for two years as an interim measure to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Sars announced a record tax revenue collection of R2.010 trillion for the for 2025/26 financial year, which ended 31 March 2026, an 8.4% growth from the previous fiscal year.
Kieswetter’s tenure has been marked by a journey from capture to compliance, and his clean-up has included a focus on the illicit economy, which is estimated to cost SARS more than R100-billion a year in lost revenue.
“The illicit economy continues to drain the country’s resources, distort competition and undermine public confidence in the tax system … We will not allow criminal syndicates to hollow out the tax system,” the commissioner said.
Highlights on this front in the past year included the launching of 17 criminal investigations into the illegal trade in tobacco and alcohol.
Kieswetter also introduced the latest SARS initiative, Modernisation 3.0.
“We envisage a future where taxpayers and their representatives will be provided with a Unique Digital Identity, which will use biometric and two-factor authentication to secure all interactions with SARS,” the commissioner said.
“This will empower taxpayers to have a comprehensive view of all their accounts with SARS, enabling them to change and update their status and pay as needed. This process will encourage self-reliance… Also central to Modernisation 3.0 is an intelligent case-management system, which will automate routine work, use big data, and apply AI to foster voluntary compliance.”
“Kieswetter will not oversee this, but he has overseen the rebound of SARS over the past seven years. Godongwana, who made an appearance, said … we owe the commissioner our deepest gratitude”.
Kieswetter has been widely credited with rebuilding the South African Revenue Service after years of institutional decline, restoring credibility and strengthening tax collection.