Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane & former President Jacob Zuma
Former President Jacob Zuma has offered up his tax records to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane for scrutiny following reports that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) was attempting to block Mkhwebane’s access to the information.
On Tuesday, Zuma said in a series of tweets that nobody had consulted him on the matter.
He said that he was not part of the contestation of his tax records and said if the Public Protector wants his records she must have them, as he had nothing to hide.
Mkhwebane is investigating a complaint from opposition party the Democratic Alliance that Zuma had allegedly received R1-million of undeclared money, during his Presidency, from Royal Security, a company owned by Roy Moodley.
The claim was first made in journalist Jacques Pauw’s book The President’s Keepers, in which he says neither Zuma nor Moodley had declared the payments to Sars.
In October Mkhwebane subpoenaed Zuma’s tax records for investigation but this week Sars launched a court bid asking the High Court to rule that the Public Protector’s subpoena powers should not extend to taxpayer information.
Zuma has come out saying that he has never refused the Public Protector’s office permission to investigate his affairs, citing that former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had previously done so and had made findings against him.
“I never refused nor hid anything [Madonsela] wanted to investigate. Even where I personally thought she was going beyond her mandate and powers, I still obliged because I respect the office of the Public Protector and, therefore, I am not part of the contestation of my tax records. We should not make the job of the Public Protector difficult. If she wants my records, she must have them,” Zuma said.