Gold with an estimated value of R24m and copper cable valued at around R14 000 were seized near the Beitbridge border post on Monday, the SA Revenue Service (SARS) said.
“During an inspection of a Toyota Quantum microbus at the Beitbridge border post, the occupants of the vehicle sped off,” spokesperson Luther Lebelo said.
“SARS officials pursued the vehicle. The occupants abandoned the vehicle at Waterpoort, Limpopo and fled the scene.”
An inspection of the vehicle, supervised by the SAPS, recovered 52kg in gold bars and 279kg of copper.
The gold and copper was currently being processed at the SAPS laboratories and the matter was being investigated by police, said Lebelo.
Julius Malema has accused billionaire businessman Johann Rupert of controlling the ANC and DA and being behind the EFF leader’s tax and political woes, the Sunday Times reported.
When Rupert was contacted for comment by the paper, he laughed uncontrollably before asking: “Did he really, really say that?”
Rupert told the newspaper that he funded neither the DA nor the ANC.
Malema accused Rupert of supporting both parties as well as the SA Revenue Service.
“The ANC and DA are one thing. They agree on everything. The ANC is a black DA and the DA is a white ANC.
“All of them are controlled by Rupert and friends,” the Economic Freedom Fighters leader told supporters at a rally in Khayelitsha in Cape Town on Saturday.
Malema told the crowd that Rupert wanted the ANC to deal with him when he was its youth league leader. He also said that Rupert controlled the SA Revenue Service.
“Rupert said the ANC Youth League is like an irritating mosquito in a room and it needs a Doom. President Jacob Zuma became that ‘Doom’.”
A police constable and an SA Revenue Service (Sars) employee were arrested for allegedly stealing drugs at the Lebombo border post on Wednesday, Mpumalanga police said.
“The policeman searched a taxi from Mozambique while its driver went to stamp his passport, and found a washing powder, plastic [container] stacked with cocaine estimated at [a street value of] more than R3 million,” said Colonel Leonard Hlathi.
The officer allegedly called an off-duty Sars employee who took the drugs to his home.
A police operation was already underway in response to a tip-off about the taxi entering the country, and this led to the policeman’s arrest.
“After the constable’s arrest, he took us to the other suspect’s home where he freely handed the drugs over and was arrested.”
The police later arrested the taxi driver.
They would all appear in the Komatipoort Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. – Sapa
The SA Revenue Service has denied it had a “secret meeting” with Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema.
“Sars does not conduct secret meetings with any taxpayer,” spokesman Adrian Lackay said.
“Any taxpayer has the right to seek remedies from Sars when a tax dispute arises between the taxpayer and Sars, as well as the right to meet with Sars with suitably qualified legal or other representatives.”
Malema said in a statement on Sunday that he, his lawyer and accountant met with Sars officials when he was still president of the ANC Youth League.
“In this meeting, my personal tax matters were briefly discussed in the presence of all. My lawyer and accountant, together with Mr Van Loggerenberg [a Sars official] were then requested by the commissioner to excuse themselves from the meeting and an indication was given on their departure that Mr Van Loggerenberg will be helping us to resolve my issues.”
He said he remained behind with the Sars commissioner and his deputy.
“In this closed session between the three of us, the details of the ‘intelligence dossier’ were discussed, and in what looked like their defence I was told that [President] Jacob Zuma had a similar Sars problem and they helped him with it,” Malema alleged.
“…They both offered to help me with my tax matters because they have done it before with Mr Zuma and other comrades.
“[The then Sars deputy commissioner Ivan] Pillay added that they would do this also because both of them are comrades and that he in particular was from exile.”
Malema claimed to have an “intelligence dossier” which, in his view, proved Sars had a special unit focusing on him and other persons because of their association with and support for Zuma.
Lackey said Sars did not provide preferential treatment.
“Taxpayer behaviour determines what course of action Sars institutes,” he said.
“If the taxpayers needs assistance and is willing to comply with his or her obligations, Sars will provide assistance. If the taxpayer demonstrates no willingness to contest or rectify instances of non-compliance, Sars takes stronger punitive actions.”
He said the matter with Zuma had gone to court and Zuma’s tax affairs were regularised.
“This is all on public record.”
Sars said on Friday Malema had failed to “refrain from making false public statements about the state of his tax affairs and his engagements with Sars”.
As a result it invoked section 67(5) of the Tax Administration Act and revealed a history of Malema’s interaction with it. The act allows it to disclose taxpayer information that would otherwise be confidential.
According to Sars, Malema ultimately accepted that he owed it R16 million in tax. He did not offer to convert any of his assets to pay his tax debt and never asked for any form of payment arrangement.
Sars attached some of Malema’s properties to recoup the R16 million debt.
In May, his incomplete mansion in Sandton, Johannesburg, was sold on auction for R5.9 million.
His farm in Limpopo fetched R2.5 million at an auction in June. Several of his household goods were also auctioned off earlier this year. – Sapa
Julius Malema’s comments about Sars poses a serious threat to the tax-collecting agency’s integrity, it says.
In a statement released by Sars, it said: “On June 27 2013 counsel for [Sars] addressed a letter to Mr Julius Malema and his legal representative, cautioning Mr Malema to refrain from making false public statements about the state of his tax affairs and his engagements with Sars.
“In subsequent weeks, Mr Malema has not only refused to correct his lies, he has in fact repeated such allegations in various news interviews.”
During the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) national assembly last week, Malema said Sars must not allow itself to be used to settle political fights. He said his colleague Kenny Kunene and other EFF members had received notices from Sars stating they were under investigation. Sars had an obligation to rise above political divisions to ensure the public could trust it with their finances, he said. Malema said if Sars continued to allow itself to be used, the EFF would fight back.
Sars on Friday said it was because of Malema’s comments that it had decided to invoke section 67(5) of the Tax Administration Act which allowed it to disclose taxpayer information that would otherwise be confidential.
Malema’s history with Sars
In 2010, Sars contacted Malema when he failed to submit his tax returns for a number of years. It took Malema 18 months, after many attempts by Sars, to file his outstanding returns. “Ultimately he failed to regularise his tax affairs,” said Sars. Malema had still not registered the Ratanang Trust for tax purposes. Sars had to register it on his behalf. “Neither of these situations, his personal income tax affairs and that of the trust, was helpful in demonstrating his willingness to comply with his tax obligations,” the agency stated.
“Such situations do not only speak to the failure of Mr Malema to comply with his statutory obligations, but also the fact that it is not fair for Sars to treat one taxpayer different from another.” After eventually receiving the outstanding tax returns it became clear, through an analysis of the information, that Malema submitted inaccurate information to Sars for the tax years 2005 to 2011. The same applied to the information submitted about the trust.
“All indications were that Mr Malema was attempting to restructure his asset holdings without informing Sars.” Because of this Sars launched a financial investigation into his tax affairs. The financial investigation found that Malema had failed to register for tax in 2005, he under-declared and mis-declared income in the years 2005 to 2011 and was assessed for about R16-million. Malema also failed to submit the tax returns for the Ratanang Trust.
The investigation found that Malema, while engaging with Sars, was transferring assets he owned to third parties in a clear attempt to shift assets outside the reach of Sars, it said. Malema had made no attempt to pay any amount towards his tax debt. “Ultimately when Sars reached a conclusion of how much tax Mr Malema owed … and despite him having had, by his own account at least R4-million available at the time, he opted not to pay one cent towards his tax debt,” stated Sars.
Malema accepted that he owed Sars R16-million in tax, but he did not offer to convert any of his assets towards his tax debt and he never asked for any form of payment arrangement. “Mr Malema failed the procedural requirements to qualify for a settlement for tax debt through his own design, and not because ‘somebody decided’ so.
“Mr Malema must, as we all do, face the consequences of his actions. He had ample opportunity to utilise the various mechanisms provided for in law to state his case,” the agency stated.
Sars attached some of Malema’s properties to recoup the R16-million tax debt owed by the controversial leader. In May, his incomplete mansion in Sandton, Johannesburg, was sold on auction for R5.9-million. His farm in Limpopo fetched R2.5-million at an auction in June. Several of his household goods were also auctioned off earlier this year. – Sapa
Julius Malema has alleged that the tax case against him is a politically motivated conspiracy run by a group of Indians ‘in bed’ with Afrikaners.The Economic Freedom Fighters leader alleged this in a report by the Sunday Times.
“I’m subjected to political persecution by political leadership led by [Finance Minister] Pravin [Gordhan], with his group of Indians,” Malema was quoted as telling the newspaper.
“It’s a small clique of Indians who are in bed with a group of Afrikaners in [the SA Revenue Service (Sars)], and Afrikaners in the law fraternity.”
He reportedly claimed the “small group of Indians” had a “political programme” against him.
“The Afrikaner are [sic] pursuing a racial hatred against Julius and what he advocates for,” he was quoted as saying.
On Tuesday, Malema’s Polokwane house was auctioned.
Sars attached the property to recoup Malema’s R16-million tax debt.
In May, Malema’s incomplete mansion in Sandton, Johannesburg, was sold at auction for R5.9-million. His farm in Limpopo fetched R2.5-milolion at auction in June. Several of his household goods were also auctioned earlier in the year.
Malema also faces corruption charges in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court. He is accused of making nearly R4 million from corrupt activities, and is out on bail of R10 000. – Sapa
The SA Revenue Service (Sars) has obtained a R16 million judgment against former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema for unpaid taxes, according to a report on Sunday.
The judgment was obtained in the High Court in Pretoria on September 11, City Press reported.
Malema did not oppose the application by Sars.
Sars spokesman Adrian Lackay confirmed the judgment against Malema for R16 million was obtained.
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He told the newspaper the amount included unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.
Lackay said he could not give any more details of Malema’s tax affairs because a “taxpayer’s confidentiality is a legal obligation imposed on Sars”.
According to the report Sars was about to seize Malema’s property and assets in Gauteng and Limpopo.
Alan Lewis, a tax law consultant and advocate, told City Press the judgment showed two things: Malema had a “hell of a lot of money” and he was in deep trouble.
Lewis, a former Sars employee, said the revenue service would most likely hand the judgment to a sheriff of the court, who would attach Malema’s properties and assets.
Sars started looking into Malema’s tax affairs last year after it was revealed that he was linked to companies which had obtained lucrative contracts from the Limpopo provincial government.
Millions of rands were channelled through Malema’s Ratanang Family Trust, according to the report. – Sapa
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