South Africa Govt expels Malawi, Rwanda, Guinea, Lesotho, Burundi diplomats for tax invasion

PRETORIA-(MaraviPost)-South Africa government has expelled Malawi, Rwanda, Guinea, Lesotho, Burundi diplomats for abusing diplomatic privileges

The South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) has uncovered a tax-dodging racket in which foreign diplomats buy large volumes of alcohol at duty free retailers and sell it locally, cheating the tax collector of an estimated R100 million in taxes every month.

According to News24, two investigations by SARS, one in 2019 and the other last year, singled out diplomats from Rwanda, Lesotho, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi and Burundi for being involved in the scam.

At least three senior officials from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told News24 last year SARS agents caught a German diplomat, inside a duty free retailer, using his credentials to buy alcohol for three friends.

According to South African media coverage citing a widely circulated report from the SA Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), 12 people were accused of abusing their diplomatic privileges.

Lloyd M’bwana

I’m a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource (LUANAR)’s Environmental Science graduate (Malawi) and UK’s ICM Journalism and Media studies scholar. Also University of Malawi (UNIMA) Library Science Scholar. I have been The Malawi Country Manager and duty editor for the Maravi Post since 2019. My duty editor’s job is to ensure that the news is covered properly, that it is delivered on time, and that it is created to the standards set out in the editorial guidelines of the Maravi Post.