Former South African Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Oupa Magashula has died.
In a statement the family said the 63-year-old Magashula had suffered from a long illness that required hospitalisation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, commenting on Magashula’s death, said in a statement he “devoted his life to the development of our economy and the stimulation of entrepreneurship among a new business generation.
“He led Sars at a critical period during which our economy was affected by the global downturn of 2008 but during which we also relied on fiscal resources to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
“Oupa Magashula was an astute, compassionate leader whose mission at Sars was driven by the needs of the most vulnerable South Africans and the requirements for economic growth.”
Before his appointment as Sars commissioner in May 2009, Magashula had worked for the tax agency since 2006 in various capacities, including head of human resources and corporate services, and served on the Sars executive committee. He later took charge of an operational division within Sars responsible for contact centres, processing centres and delivery enablement.
Before his Sars tenure, he was human resources director at Telkom as well as in other private sector companies such as Nampak, Sun International and Anglo Vaal Industries, serving in operations and human resources.
After four years as head of Sars Magashula left the tax authority under a cloud. He was appointed commissioner in May 2009 to replace Pravin Gordhan, who was promoted to finance minister. Magashula resigned in July 2013 after a fact-finding inquiry into media allegations that raised questions about the integrity of staff recruiting processes at Sars.
The allegations related to Magashula’s offer of a R700,000-a-year job at Sars to a 28-year-old female chartered accountant in March 2013 during an inappropriate conversation.
Gordhan appointed retired Constitutional Court justice Zak Yacoob and advocate Muzi Sikhakhane to probe the allegations and a report was submitted on July 8 2013.
The committee found that by his conduct Magashula had placed the reputation and credibility of Sars at risk and that he had not been entirely frank with the committee and the minister. The committee found no evidence that Magashula committed a crime.
Having received a copy of the report, Magashula admitted in a meeting with Gordhan that his actions constituted a failure to promote and maintain the high standard of professionalism and ethical behaviour expected of the Sars commissioner.
Magashula immediately tendered his resignation from July 12, which was accepted. He later told News24 that he regretted the impropriety and that the decision to resign was the hardest of his life.
Gordhan said in a statement at the time, Sars “is one of the key pillars of our fiscal order, and therefore our democratic dispensation. It is an institution whose very foundations are built on the trust and credibility that South African taxpayers have in it.”
Further investigations included the appointment of a committee to review governance and ethical standards at Sars, especially regarding the office of the commissioner.
Deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay was appointed acting commissioner to take over from Magashula pending the appointment of a new head of Sars.
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