If it's true, it's totally unacceptable - Gordhan on SARS 'hostage' report

27 October 2016

Cape Town - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan says he has not received a formal report about an alleged "hostage" incident at SARS headquarters, but said that, if true, it is unacceptable behaviour.

Gordhan appeared before a joint appropriation's committee meeting in Parliament on Thursday to account for his mid-term budget speech this week.

Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier didn't shy away from asking the question about the alleged incident on October 18, despite objections from African National Congress MPs that it was not relevant to the budget.

Gordhan said it was an open democracy and defended Maynier's right to ask the question.

"I heard whispers about it, to be frank. I have no formal report yet," he told the committee.

"I believe there has been something on the wires, but I haven't had a chance to look at it. If this is true, it's unacceptable behaviour. It's totally unacceptable behaviour," Gordhan said.

"But let's get the facts first and we'll take it from there."

Email battle

Gordhan said he would ask SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane for an explanation when he got the chance.

It emerged on Wednesday that a senior SARS employee, Vlok Symington, had been asked last week to answer questions by the Hawks about a legal opinion he had previously written to Gordhan on his deputy Ivan Pillay’s retirement.

The Mail & Guardian reported that Symington was mistakenly given an email which had allegedly been sent by SARS’s lawyers to Moyane.

The Hawks and Moyane’s bodyguard allegedly held Symington against his will at SARS headquarters on October 18 in order to get the email back.

The NPA confirmed on Thursday that it was still investigating a case against Gordhan, former SARS commissioner Oupa Magashula and Pillay over the details surrounding Pillay's retirement.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.