President Cyril Ramaphosa has fired South African Revenue Service  (SARS) Commissioner Tom Moyane, who was under suspension.

The Presidency says President Ramaphosa has accepted the recommendation of the Chairperson of the SARS  commission of inquiry, retired judge Robert Nugent to axe Moyane.

Moyane was suspended in March following a string of controversies over his running of SARS.

Nugent recommended his dismissal in an interim report on the SARS inquiry last month.  He also recommended that a permanent Commissioner be appointed for the Revenue Service.

Mark Kingon has been acting as SARS Commissioner.

Gordhan welcomes the dismissal

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has welcomed the dismissal of Moyane. Speaking on the sidelines of the SA Tomorrow Investment Conference in New York, Gordhan says it’s important for the Revenue Service to be properly governed.

“It’s good to have some certainty in that area so that the Minister of Finance can appoint a new Commissioner. The Revenue Service is a very vital part of our fiscal and economic set of institutions. If it works well, we have less difficulty, we have more revenue coming in and that makes a huge difference.”