Benoni - Corruption within the South African Revenue Service (SARS) will not be tolerated.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of 625 new Customs Border Control Unit (CBCU) officers following six weeks of training on Friday, Commissioner Oupa Magashula said the Revenue Service prides itself with a reputation of being corruption free.
"We pride ourselves with a very solid reputation of not taking bribes, of not soliciting bribes and not extorting money or favours from traders, travelers and tax payers. If any of us feels that they cannot uphold this covenant then they are not worth being in this uniform," Magashula told the biggest number of graduates of the CBCU to date.
Magashula said that the country should applaud the new graduates that will add to the Receiver's workforce that over the course of last year uncovered counterfeit goods worth R1 billion as well as seizures that amount to 12 seizures a day.
In April this year, SARS had already seen 1198 seizes estimated at R110 million.
Chief of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Hlula Msimang said securing South Africa as a country was dependent on joint work between all law enforcement services.
"Securing our country cannot be achieved by a process of working separately. Only through joint work can we secure our country," he said.
On the issue of corruption he said: "I need not tell you how bad it is [corruption]. We should take it as an insult to our uniform and profession to take bribes from anyone."
Magashula explained customs as paramount to the country's economy, adding that last year the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ranked South Africa 26th as the largest importer and exporter out of a total 176 member countries.
"It is a huge responsibility and we have to execute it with accountability," the Commissioner said.
South Africa's hosting of the World Cup seems to have spurned ideas of counterfeit clothes as well as the siphoning of drugs into the country, he added. "This justifies the (need for the) number of graduates we see here today," he added.
Adding new people in the detector dog unit, the adoption of new strategies as well as expanding the CBCU are among some of the measures the Revenue Services have to take in order to be more effective, the commissioner said.
Following their graduation the new CBCU members entertained the crowd with music and a gumboot dance among other things.
