Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday distanced itself from the spat between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the head of the South African Revenue Service (Sars).
“Scopa would not want to be drawn into contestations that have nothing to do with its mandate‚” chairperson Themba Godi said in reaction to a headline in The New Age saying “Moyane deal probed”.
Godi said it was “disturbing and unacceptable that The New Age would run with a misleading headline” when‚ in fact:
- Scopa did not have a meeting with Sars commissioner Tom Moyane‚
- No tender involving Moyane was discussed by Scopa; and
- Scopa had called the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services‚ Michael Masutha‚ to brief the committee on infrastructure‚ human resources‚ the use of consultants and contractors‚ and the information and communication technology plan of the Department of Correctional Services.
The New Age had reported that a Treasury official‚ Solly Tshitangano‚ had told Scopa that it had received a complaint about a tender that had “not been properly evaluated and adjudicated”.
Sources apparently told the paper that Tshitangano’s appearance was “merely a smokescreen and was more about the ongoing spat between Gordhan and Moyane”.
But‚ Godi countered‚ “the tender on the Integrated Inmate Management System has been approved by the commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services‚ Zacharia Modise”‚ before reiterating that “at no point was Moyane discussed” at the meeting.
The New Age reported that the “controversial R378-million contract…was awarded during Moyane’s tenure as DCS national commissioner”.
Moyane and Gordhan have been at loggerheads‚ which reached a climax when the Hawks sent Gordhan a list of 27 questions related to the alleged “rogue intelligence unit” set up Sars when Gordhan was the tax collector’s head.
On Wednesday‚ Police Minister Nathi Nhleko defended the decision by the Hawks to ask the questions‚ and said he accepted Gordhan’s explanation that he was unable to meet the deadline to answer them‚ as he was preparing to deliver the National Budget to Parliament and had insufficient time to prepare his response.
Sars Wars not within Scopa’s ambit‚ says chairperson
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday distanced itself from the spat between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the head of the South African Revenue Service (Sars).
“Scopa would not want to be drawn into contestations that have nothing to do with its mandate‚” chairperson Themba Godi said in reaction to a headline in The New Age saying “Moyane deal probed”.
Godi said it was “disturbing and unacceptable that The New Age would run with a misleading headline” when‚ in fact:
- Scopa did not have a meeting with Sars commissioner Tom Moyane‚
- No tender involving Moyane was discussed by Scopa; and
- Scopa had called the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services‚ Michael Masutha‚ to brief the committee on infrastructure‚ human resources‚ the use of consultants and contractors‚ and the information and communication technology plan of the Department of Correctional Services.
The New Age had reported that a Treasury official‚ Solly Tshitangano‚ had told Scopa that it had received a complaint about a tender that had “not been properly evaluated and adjudicated”.
Sources apparently told the paper that Tshitangano’s appearance was “merely a smokescreen and was more about the ongoing spat between Gordhan and Moyane”.
But‚ Godi countered‚ “the tender on the Integrated Inmate Management System has been approved by the commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services‚ Zacharia Modise”‚ before reiterating that “at no point was Moyane discussed” at the meeting.
The New Age reported that the “controversial R378-million contract…was awarded during Moyane’s tenure as DCS national commissioner”.
Moyane and Gordhan have been at loggerheads‚ which reached a climax when the Hawks sent Gordhan a list of 27 questions related to the alleged “rogue intelligence unit” set up Sars when Gordhan was the tax collector’s head.
On Wednesday‚ Police Minister Nathi Nhleko defended the decision by the Hawks to ask the questions‚ and said he accepted Gordhan’s explanation that he was unable to meet the deadline to answer them‚ as he was preparing to deliver the National Budget to Parliament and had insufficient time to prepare his response.
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