Coreth Naudé, senior advocate for the South African Revenue Service (SARS), was the target of a brutal assassination attempt in Durban on Thursday afternoon.
Naudé, who has been involved in numerous high-profile SARS cases, was ambushed as she arrived at her hotel near the Gateway shopping centre. Two unknown gunmen opened fire on her vehicle, inflicting three gunshot wounds to her upper body, neck, and face. Despite her injuries, she managed to steer her car into a basement parking structure before collapsing.
Emergency responders treated Naudé at the scene before she was transported to Netcare Umhlanga Hospital, where she is currently undergoing emergency surgery.
The assailants remain at large. Authorities, including police and private security, are on the lookout for a Toyota Corolla suspected to have been used in the attack, potentially with cloned number plates.
The attack on Naudé comes in the wake of her involvement in a contentious tax inquiry concerning businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize and her company, Royal AM Football Club. The inquiry, held at Cox Yeats Attorneys' offices in Umhlanga, aims to recover R37 million in taxes. SARS had previously secured a provisional preservation order in May to seize assets linked to Mkhize’s enterprises, including a fleet of luxury vehicles. However, attempts to enforce this order were thwarted by a standoff with Mkhize's security team, leading to the abandonment of the asset recovery operation.
SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter denounced the attack as a grave affront to the rule of law. "SARS condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Advocate Coreth Naudé. This shocking act is intended to intimidate officers of the court and undermine our country’s legal system," he stated. Kieswetter emphasized the need for a collective effort to uphold the authority of the state and ensure that justice prevails.
He urged the police to expedite their investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice, asserting, "We will not be intimidated by such acts of crime and cowardice."
The attempt on Naudé’s life underscores the inherent risks faced by legal professionals engaged in high-stakes tax inquiries, highlighting the broader challenges of enforcing financial accountability in South Africa.
