Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has appointed Yanga Mputa as the Tax Ombud, effective from July 1.

Mputa becomes South Africa’s first female Tax Ombud. The appointment is for a period of five years.

She will succeed Professor Thabo Legwaila, who has been acting in the role since October 2022, after the term of the first Tax Ombud, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, ended on September 30.

Mputa is an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She joined the National Treasury in 2014 as Legal Tax Design chief director. Prior to this, she was a tax specialist at the South African Revenue Service (Sars) from 2009.

In her current role at Treasury, she is said to have played a vital role in the development of the yearly tax legislation, as she oversaw the design and drafting of all tax legislation, including the negotiating of tax treaties.

Her work involved working closely with the two finance committees of Parliament, to finalise the tax legislation together with other Treasury and Sars colleagues.

She also served as the South African representative on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development/G20 Steering Group of the Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting since January 2017.

Mputa holds BProc and LLB degrees from the former University of Transkei, an LLM degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MCom in International Tax from North-West University (Potchefstroom), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Tax Law from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Godongwana thanked Ngoepe for his “outstanding leadership” in establishing the Office of the Tax Ombud and ensuring that it improved the South African tax administration system by providing a free and fair avenue for resolving taxpayers’ complaints against Sars.

He also thanked Legwaila for his acting role, and wished him well on his return as CEO of the Office of the Tax Ombud.

Godongwana encouraged the incoming Tax Ombud to act in the public interest and to ensure Sars treated all taxpayers fairly.

“By providing a readily accessible avenue for recourse to both individuals and businesses, the Tax Ombud contributes greatly to maintaining public trust in the tax system, something we cannot take for granted.

“The Office of the Tax Ombud also promotes compliance while safeguarding the rights of taxpayers, aiding our goal as the government of an equitable and efficient tax administration,” Godongwana emphasised.

“I have full faith in Ms Mputa’s ability to take up this challenge and continue the good work the Tax Ombud has already achieved, even though she will be greatly missed at the National Treasury,” he added.