Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene has appointed retired judge Frank Kroon of the Eastern Cape High Court to head a committee to investigate the South African Revenue Service's upheavals.
SARS, once a jewel in the crown of the civil service, has been plagued for months by infighting, claims of unethical behaviour and accusations of political score-settling since the departure of former acting commissioner Ivan Pillay and his replacement by Tom Moyane.
Mass resignations, as unhappy, highly skilled staff are head-hunted, accusations of illegal and immoral behaviour as well as power abuse have become commonplace, and SARS missed its revenue collection target this year.
The Kroon Committee was not a judicial inquiry, Nene stressed, but an advisory committee, which should provide counsel to him and Moyane on how the integrity of the institution can be restored.
