South Africa’s new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has suspended the head of the tax service ahead of “disciplinary proceedings” as he vows to fight graft following his predecessor Jacob Zuma’s ousting. In a statement released late Monday, Ramaphosa announced that Tom Moyane had refused to resign as the South African Revenue Service (SARS) commissioner and had then been suspended. In his letter to Moyane, Ramaphosa said “developments at the SARS under your leadership have resulted in a deterioration in public confidence in the institution and in public finances being compromised”. Prosecutors announced on Friday that Zuma would face corruption charges on allegations of accepting bribes over an arms deal before he became president. During Zuma’s nine-year tenure, South Africa grappled with state corruption scandals, weak growth and record unemployment.

Source: Punch March 20, 2018 08:15 UTC