South Africa’s finance minister favours Johnstone Makhubu to take over as commissioner of the nation’s tax agency, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The support makes Makhubu a strong contender to replace Edward Kieswetter as the head of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) when he steps down, said the person who asked not to be identified as discussions about the succession plan aren’t public.

Makhubu has been deputy commissioner of taxpayer engagement at Sars since 2023, when he was appointed along with two other deputies.

The National Treasury, which has a 48-hour turnaround time for responses to requests for comment, didn’t respond to queries sent on Wednesday.

Kieswetter is due to step down as commissioner in April. Appointed in May 2019, his five-year term was extended by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2024 for two years as an interim measure to ensure a “smooth leadership transition,” the presidency said at the time.

Kieswetter has asked Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for an early release from his current contract, and the position will be formally advertised in the coming weeks, the person said. Godongwana will make his recommendation to Ramaphosa at the end of that process.

The commissioner is expected to stay on until December to oversee the handover to his successor, the person said.

Kieswetter didn’t answer his phone and didn’t respond to a text message seeking comment.