Soccer Star Ignites Tax Scandal: Facing Half a Million Rand in Unpaid Taxes

Former Orlando Pirates Striker Ignacious Mabena Faces Tax Troubles: Owes Over Half a Million Rand

Former Orlando Pirates striker Ndumiso Ignacious Mabena is facing legal trouble over unpaid taxes totalling more than half a million rand. Mabena, now playing for Polokwane City, has been taken to the South Gauteng High Court by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

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SARS Demands Settlement for Outstanding Taxes

According to court documents filed last Thursday, SARS is demanding that Ndumiso Mabena settle his tax bill of R575,247.15. The revenue collector revealed that the footballer has neglected to file and pay his income taxes for an astonishing three-year period. In response, Mabena claimed he was unaware of the outstanding tax bill, expressing concern that SARS might seize his account funds and garnish his salary from his current team.

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Mabena’s Insights into Tax Troubles

In a statement given to ZiMoja, Ndumiso Mabena acknowledged the possibility of owing the taxman half a million rand. He suggested that the bill might be related to his time at Bloemfontein Celtic, a club that was struggling financially. Mabena explained that when he left Celtic, the club’s owner faced financial and tax problems. He suspects that the owner failed to pay the owed taxes to SARS, despite issuing IRP5 forms to the players.

“I think I know where this could be coming from. Remember when we left Bloemfontein Celtic, the owner had issues of finances and we later learnt about his tax issues as well. So, I suspect that even though he gave us IRP5s, there’s a chance that he was not paying the money to SARS during our time there, ” said Mabena.

Ndumiso Mabena mentioned that he received his IRP5 forms from almost all the teams he played for, except Royal AM, where his departure was marked by significant drama.

“That’s the only club I played for where I never received any IRP5 to show that taxes were paid on my behalf. I’m not saying that they didn’t pay, but I don’t have anything to confirm that they did because of the way I left there,” he said. 

Ndumiso Mabena expressed his willingness to work out an arrangement with SARS to settle the bill, as he cannot afford to make a full payment at once.