Ramaphosa picks ‘steady hand’ Makhubu as new SARS boss

Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu, a deputy commissioner at the South African Revenue Agency (SARS), has been appointed to replace the outgoing Edward Kieswetter, who steps down at the end of this month after seven years at the helm.

“The incoming commissioner is a seasoned public- and private-sector executive with more than 17 years of senior leadership experience spanning tax administration, commercial, finance and operations management,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

“He has worked in complex, regulated and large-scale organisations across multiple industries including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), mining, power generation and public revenue services,” a statement from the president read.

Makhubu, who has been deputy commissioner in charge of taxpayer engagement and operations since 2023, is seen as a steady hand well placed to continue Kieswetter’s drive to turn SARS around after it was reduced to a husk of its former self during the period of State Capture under disgraced former president Jacob Zuma.

“The finance minister and the President both think quite highly of him. It’s a steady hand on the till and he’s well regarded inside and outside of SARS. And for continuity it seems like the most prudent choice; he knows the organisation, the direction of travel that SARS has been on for the last few years,” a senior government official told Daily Maverick.

He has worked at SARS since 2016, first as its chief procurement officer, then as chief finance officer between 2018 and 2020, and as chief revenue officer up until 2023, when he was appointed deputy commissioner.

Makhubu, awarded a PhD in Leadership from the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute at the University of Pretoria in 2024, has helped to craft the SARS strategic direction since 2020 and has been part of the team behind the Vision 2024 strategy.

That saw revenue collections grow by a compounded annual rate of 7.6%, leading to the R2.01-trillion mark reached in the last financial year.

The Presidency and the Finance Ministry are clearly seeking continuity with the Kieswetter era and pointedly selected a commissioner with institutional knowledge and experience rather than opting for an outsider. And given the SARS turnaround, they had a deep bench to draw from.

“The appointment comes at a unique and challenging juncture in South Africa’s economic landscape, with the fiscal discipline and steady reforms of the past few years beginning to yield the stability needed for faster growth and investment amid global uncertainty and shocks,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said.

Makhubu’s in-box when he starts in May will include the latest SARS initiative, Modernisation 3.0, unveiled by Kieswetter on 1 April. This will see taxpayers and their representatives provided with a Unique Digital Identity, making use of use biometric and two-factor authentication to secure all interactions with SARS.

He will also be at the forefront of the organisation’s ongoing efforts to crack down on the illicit economy and the tax revenues that it siphons away from SARS coffers.

With South African economic growth likely to fall short of current projections this year because of the unfolding conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran – which will already cost SARS R6-billion in lost revenue this month because of the slashing of the fuel levy to cushion the impact of surging pump prices – Makhubu will have his work cut out for him. DM