Bain & Company announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Norman Mbazima to chair its new African oversight board, which the company set up to provide risk oversight in the wake of its work for the SA Revenue Service under former commissioner Tom Moyane.
Mbazima is deputy chairperson of Anglo American SA. From 2012 to 2016 he served as CEO of Kumba Iron Ore.
The African oversight board will, according to Bain, "provide risk oversight of client and project selection".
Bain 'learnt lessons'
"Bain has learnt the lessons from what happened with SARS and implemented significant remedial steps," Mbazima said in a statement on Wednesday. "I have great confidence in the quality of the firm and its people, and believe Bain can make a significant, positive contribution to the South African business community and society more generally."
In 2015, the global management consultancy was granted a contract to review the organisational structure of the revenue collection agency. At the 2018 Nugent commission of inquiry into tax administration at SARS, Bain was criticised for helping to hobble the agency's operations, including revenue collection.
'Premeditated offensive'
"We think what occurred can fairly be described as a premeditated offensive against SARS, strategised by the local office of Bain & Company Inc [...] for Mr Moyane to seize SARS, each in pursuit of their own interests that were symbiotic, but not altogether the same," the 200-page final report of the commission reads.
Bain in December described its work for SARS as a "humbling episode" and returned its fees, plus interest.
The group's managing partner for Bain Africa, John Senior, said in a statement on Wednesday that the company is "committed to ensuring that we do what it takes to regain South Africa’s trust".