Says it is not the subject of any investigation by any authority
Staff Writer
A South African tax firm working with the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) on a consultancy basis, Africa Tax Academy (ATA), has warned that it will sue all media houses that are “hell-bent on tarnishing its good name in what appears to be a well-coordinated plot to harm its business fortunes.”
The firm’s threats follow BURS’s recent warning to journalists to desist from reporting on the institution’s confidential matters.
In a strongly-worded statement released yesterday, a spokesperson of ATA, Fundi Luruli, said the director of the company, Jonas Makwakwa, never left SARS under any “cloud” as claimed in certain quarters and that Makwakwa’s resignation is a public record.
No pending probe
“When Mr Makwakwa voluntarily left SARS, he had no pending investigations against him by either SARS or any other authorities (sic),” the statement said.
“The attempts to find fault in him through internal investigation were dealt with and closed. The Hogan Lovells investigation and an independent disciplinary hearing cleared Mr Makwakwa of any wrongdoing.”
“It is important to note that it is almost five years since Makwakwa left public service in South Africa,” the statement noted. “Why the media continues to hound him and attempt to smear his name remains a mystery.”
The company has been the subject of media scrutiny both in Botswana and South Africa.