Oupa Magashula anxious about fraud charges

Former South African Revenue Service Commissioner Oupa Magashula is embarrassed and anxious about the fraud charges hanging over his head.

He is due to appear in court with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and former SARS executive Ivan Pillay on November 2.

The charges relate to a R1.1-million early retirement package paid to Pillay in 2010.

Magashula’s attorney Michael Tilney described the charges as “flimsy” and a source of embarrassment to his client on Thursday.

Speaking on CapeTalk radio‚ he said: “Clearly he is very embarrassed. He was a very senior civil servant. Our environment in South Africa is such that we read daily about corruption‚ fraud and theft in the civil service and one may well believe that where there is smoke there is fire.”

While this was not true‚ he said‚ the charges were a relief on the one hand because the matter would be heard in court. But on the other hand‚ the charges were a source of embarrassment and “some anxious moments for him and his family”.

The charges come against a backdrop of political intrigue and allegations of a concerted effort to “capture” key state institutions in the country.

“I think factually they (the charges) are flimsy but if you were in Mr Magashula’s shoes‚ you’re faced with the might of the state in a very highly politically charged environment. So he is dealing with these charges very seriously‚” said Tilney.

Magashula resigned as commissioner in 2013 after an investigation into claims that he offered a woman a job at SARS without following procedure. At the time‚ Gordhan said there was no evidence of him having committed a crime but he had placed SARS’ reputation at risk.