Mark Kingon reappointed as acting SARS head

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene on Sunday reappointed Mark Kingon as the acting commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for another 90 days.

“Section 7 of the SARS Act empowers the Minister of Finance to appoint an acting commissioner. The President‚ however‚ appoints a permanent commissioner‚” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

According to the SARS Act‚ Kingon can stay in the position for only 90 days.

Kingon was appointed as acting SARS commissioner on March 20 after President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended commissioner Tom Moyane.

The Presidency previously suggested there were 12 misconduct charges against Moyane‚ including his alleged failure to act on evidence of criminality against his former second-in-command‚ Jonas Makwakwa.

Moyane wants the misconduct inquiry against him to go ahead as soon as possible.

Kingon has been with SARS since its inception in 1997 and before that with the then tax-collecting agency‚ the Receiver of Revenue.

Kingon also gained attention last year when he was named in Jacques Pauw’s book The President’s Keepers. It said he was tasked with convincing former President Jacob Zuma to file his tax returns.