The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday threw his weight behind the ex-head of the country’s tax collection agency who was recently sacked by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The move pitted Zuma directly against his successor Ramaphosa, who came to power in February when Zuma was ousted due to multiple graft scandals.
Ramaphosa this month fired Tom Moyane after a judicial inquiry recommended his removal to save the once respected tax authority.
Moyane has gone to court to challenge his sacking.
In an affidavit backing the application, Zuma said the inquiry that recommended that Moyane should be sacked had overstepped its mandate.
The investigation “has deviated (from) its originally intended purpose,” Zuma said in the document lodged with the Constitutional Court.
Ramaphosa has said he took the decision to sack Moyane as head of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) “to forestall any further deterioration of our tax administration system”.
The investigation had painted “a deeply concerning picture of the current state of SARS and the reckless mismanagement which characterised your tenure,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa and Zuma have kept any friction behind closed doors as their rival factions tussle for influence in the ruling ANC party ahead of next year’s general election.
sn/bgs/ach
