BusinessLive reports that suspended SA Revenue Service (SARS) commissioner Tom Moyane has appealed directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa to halt one of two inquiries into tax administration and his alleged misconduct — or face urgent legal action.  

"Our client has sharply raised in both proceedings‚ the gross unfairness of being simultaneously subjected to both processes when the subject matter inquired into‚ as it pertains to him‚ is substantially the same and/or largely overlapping‚" Moyane’s lawyer, Eric Mabuza, wrote to Ramaphosa‚ hours after retired Judge Robert Nugent dismissed the same argument about his inquiry into tax administration.  In a scathing ruling‚ the judge dismissed all five of the objections made by advocate Dali Mpofu‚ describing his submissions as a "disgrace" and "abusive".  In his letter to Ramaphosa‚ Mabuza said it seemed Nugent "has adopted the attitude that these are issues which do not fall under his jurisdiction but that of the president.”  As a result‚ Mabuza has taken Moyane’s objections straight to Ramaphosa.  They include a demand that the president remove Michael Katz as an adviser to the Nugent inquiry based on “reasonable" perceptions that Katz was biased.  It remains unclear when the misconduct inquiry against Moyane will get under way.

• Read this report by Karyn Maughan in full at BusinessLive

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page