Hitmen as cheap as R5 000… as SARS advocate is gunned down

To hire a hitman in South Africa has become “very cheap”, says Yusuf Abramjee of Tax Justice South Africa. According to his information, an assassin can be hired for as little as between R5,000 and R100,000. He speaks to BizNews following the attempted assassination of South African Revenue Service (SARS) Advocate Coreth Naude. “…clearly advocate Naudé – with a great track record in fighting crime and corruption and criminality – was targeted because she’s hurting the pockets of people who have allegedly pocketed millions and millions of rands,” says Abramjee. The attempted hit has also been condemned by SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter with these words: “This shocking act is intended to intimidate officers of court to abandon the vital work they’re performing in furtherance of our country’s legal system.”

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Highlights from the interview

In an interview with Chris Steyn, Yusuf Abramjee of Tax Justice South Africa discusses the recent attempted assassination of Advocate Coreth Naude, a prominent figure in the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Abramjee expresses shock and concern over the attack, emphasizing the need for swift justice to ensure the perpetrators are held accountable. He highlights the broader issue of South Africa becoming a haven for assassinations, with life becoming alarmingly cheap. Abramjee criticizes the police and criminal justice system for their lax approach to violent crime and calls for a vigorous onslaught against organized crime, using technology and stricter enforcement.

He notes that hiring a hitman in South Africa is relatively inexpensive, contributing to the rampant lawlessness. Abramjee also addresses the plight of whistleblowers, who often face severe threats and attacks, stressing the necessity for better protection and legislative measures to safeguard them.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks on organized crime and the Construction Mafia are acknowledged, with Abramjee agreeing on the need for decisive action. He underscores the critical importance of tackling the illicit trade, tax evasion, and internal corruption within SARS to curb the financial losses and criminal activities plaguing the nation.

Extended transcript of the interview ___STEADY_PAYWALL___

00:00:11:15 – 00:00:23:06
Chris Steyn
An advocate for the South African Revenue Service is fighting for her life after an attempted assassination. We speak to Yusuf Abramjee of Tax Justice SA. Welcome, Yusuf.

00:00:23:08 – 00:00:24:16
Yusuf Abramjee
Hello. Thank you, Chris.

00:00:24:18 – 00:00:26:14
Chris Steyn
May we please have your comments?

00:00:26:16 – 00:00:54:04
Yusuf Abramjee
Well, first of all, our best wishes go out to Advocate Coreth Naude following the attempted assassination in the Umhlanga area outside Durban last night. News of the attempted assassination has come as a shock to thousands of people across South Africa. And the sentiments expressed by the Commissioner of SARS, Edward Kieswetter, are something that we need to support.

00:00:54:09 – 00:01:16:13
Yusuf Abramjee
We hope that the perpetrators are brought to book. Clearly, this was an attempted hit. It was an attempt on her life. She’s in critical condition, and we wish her well. We hope that the perpetrators are brought to book. Unfortunately, South Africa has become a haven for assassinations and attempted assassinations.

00:01:16:13 – 00:01:37:17
Yusuf Abramjee
I can give you case after case where we’ve seen hits on people. Yet, the key perpetrators are not brought to book, which is of grave concern. I hope the South African Police Service will make sure that the people involved in this attempted hit are brought to book and face the full might of the law.

00:01:37:20 – 00:02:01:00
Yusuf Abramjee
We are living in the Wild West. Life has become so cheap. Clearly, Advocate Naude, with a great track record in fighting crime, corruption, and criminality, was targeted because she’s hurting the pockets of people who have allegedly pocketed millions of rands. We cannot allow the lawlessness to continue the way it does.

00:02:01:01 – 00:02:08:07
Chris Steyn
Yusuf, can you give us an update on what SARS is losing on average annually?

00:02:08:09 – 00:02:31:22
Yusuf Abramjee
We know that SARS is facing an onslaught by organized crime syndicates. Whether it is counterfeit goods, round tripping, tax evasion, VAT fraud, or even people within SARS involved in criminality, they are trying their luck and robbing our fiscus of millions of rands.

00:02:31:22 – 00:02:55:19
Yusuf Abramjee
It’s a major problem. For example, Tax Justice South Africa released a number of statements this week focusing on the illicit tobacco trade. We reacted to a survey done by Ipsos, which shows how widespread the illicit trade is. About 70 or 80% of South Africa’s market is now flooded with illicit cigarettes.

00:02:56:00 – 00:03:17:17
Yusuf Abramjee
We’ve named the manufacturers involved and are again calling on SARS to take action against these people. If they refuse to put cameras into the factories, which is now before the High Court, shut them down. It’s only a small portion of the major onslaught by these organized crime syndicates. They’re trying their luck at every turn.

00:03:17:18 – 00:03:40:17
Yusuf Abramjee
Corruption is a major problem. Smuggling from neighboring countries, especially Zimbabwe, into South Africa is ongoing. The illicit tobacco trade is just a small section where, for example, we estimate about 27 or 28 billion rand a year is lost. These criminals, when they become desperate, will try their luck at every turn.

00:03:40:22 – 00:03:59:01
Yusuf Abramjee
The attack on Advocate Naude is an indication of what people who are trying to fight crime are faced with each and every day. We know that Murray, a liquidator, was shot dead on the N1 just over a year ago. Up to now, no arrests have been made.

00:03:59:05 – 00:04:28:06
Yusuf Abramjee
I can go into the Gauteng senior Health Department official case where arrests have been made, but the kingpins are still not behind bars. The list goes on and on. These criminals are desperate, showing how brazen and daring they are. It’s important for authorities and law enforcement agencies to come down very hard on these kingpins and those involved in lawlessness.

00:04:28:08 – 00:04:39:18
Chris Steyn
Now, if they had killed this advocate or if she dies, it’s not going to make the case go away. But it’s going to send a message, isn’t it, and deter others?

00:04:40:14 – 00:04:59:15
Yusuf Abramjee
People simply believe that by taking out one person, it’s going to go away. Let’s not forget that SARS is a massive organization with dockets and a trail of paperwork. They’ll simply get somebody else to take over the case. If anything, it will make them even more adamant to get to the bottom of those involved in criminality.

00:04:59:17 – 00:05:26:23
Yusuf Abramjee
If these criminals think they can get away with it, good luck to them. The law must come down very, very hard. The criminal justice system must come down very hard. For example, in Durban just this week, four suspected criminals allegedly involved in cash-in-transit robberies and hits were shot dead by police after a shootout.

00:05:27:01 – 00:05:50:16
Yusuf Abramjee
We know there’s a very well-known case in Johannesburg of Dr. Abdulhay Munshi, who was shot dead some time ago. He was a doctor in Johannesburg, clearly another hit. Up to today, despite names being mentioned and people allegedly implicated, not a single arrest has been made.

Read more: 30 years of ANC misrule in Gauteng, but the DA has a game plan…

00:05:50:21 – 00:06:10:19

Yusuf Abramjee:
And I think the time has now come for the police and the criminal justice system to wake up and make sure that they investigate these cases with all the vigor and ensure that these people are brought to book. The more the hitmen and criminals get away with it, the easier it will become for them to continue with the lawlessness.

00:06:10:19 – 00:06:37:13

Yusuf Abramjee:
We are told that to hire a hitman in South Africa has become very cheap. Anything from 5,000 rand to 50,000 rand to 100,000 rand, and life has simply become so cheap. We cannot allow this to continue. And I’m again saying the South African Police Service must come down very hard on these criminals, especially those involved in violent crime. President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke about organized crime and the Construction Mafia last night in the State of the Nation address.

00:06:37:15 – 00:06:53:01

Yusuf Abramjee:
We agree, technology must be used. There needs to be a vigorous onslaught, a war on crime, because we know that these criminals have declared a war on us as ordinary South Africans, and we cannot sit back and allow the lawlessness to continue.

00:06:53:09 – 00:07:02:17

Chris Steyn:
I often speak to whistleblowers, and disturbingly, now more and more feel that it’s not safe for them to come forward, which of course is going to impact…

00:07:02:19 – 00:07:23:12

Yusuf Abramjee:
Well, that is a major problem. We know that whistleblowers are very scared to come forward. Historically, whistleblowers have been targeted. We know exactly what’s happened in some of the high-profile cases. Again, we are saying that whistleblowers need to be protected. Government must have mechanisms in place to protect whistleblowers. For as long as that doesn’t happen,

00:07:23:16 – 00:07:45:10

Yusuf Abramjee:
people will be scared to come forward. That is why the various whistleblowing hotlines need to ensure that people who make these tip-offs are protected, that they remain anonymous, and that the whistleblowers are not compromised. Because we know in the past, whistleblowers often have become targets. There have been hits and attempted hits on them.

00:07:45:10 – 00:07:57:11

Yusuf Abramjee:
Some of them have been killed, and people are fearing for their lives. So, it’s critical for whistleblowers to be protected. We need the legislation to be implemented to ensure their safety.

00:07:57:12 – 00:08:08:03

Chris Steyn:
Thank you. That was Yusuf Abramjee of Tax Justice SA speaking to BizNews after the attempted assassination of a SARS advocate. Thank you, Yusuf. And I’m Chris Steyn.