For at least the second week in a row the weekly Cargo Movement Update (CMU) has flagged operational issues by the Border Management Authority’s (BMA) Port Health team at OR Tambo International Airport.
Compiled by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders and Business Unity, the CMU 256 for the week ending October 19 has added three additional cargo constraints at the airport, namely “trader compliance with the SA Revenue Service scanner bookings to sustain clearance efficiency, stricter police service and access control measures due to the G20 Summit, and collective support for developing a locally designed IVS permit system (ID verification)”.
Additional airfreight hurdles at the airport have only served to compound the nagging problem of “processing constraints and backlogs” at the BMA’s Port Health unit, the CMU points out.
The update recorded 4 000 affected airfreight shipments, “equating to a delay of around 12 days”.
The update’s consecutive flagging of hold-ups at OR Tambo comes after CMU 255 “highlighted persistent BMA resourcing constraints affecting Port Health and after-hours inspections”.
The previous CMU pointed out that delays experienced at the country’s principal air cargo hub came “alongside renewed attention to aviation fuel supply vulnerabilities, following stakeholder engagement at Cape Town International Airport to safeguard continuity of operations”.
Mmemme Mogotsi, deputy assistant commissioner for Communications and Marketing at the BMA, has since issued the following statement: “A meeting between the BMA and Saaff was held on Tuesday, October 21. It was attended by the acting commissioner, major general David Chilembe, while the industry delegation was led by Dr Juanita Maree, chief executive officer of Saaff.
“Following discussions that noted both capacity and financial challenges, the two entities agreed to augment resources to address inspection backlogs at the Port of Durban and OR Tambo International Airport. A project team will be established to map out the processes to be followed in resourcing the affected ports and to assess the viability of the project in consultation with the National Treasury, in line with its prescripts.
“To ensure inclusivity in the resourcing process, the industry will invite other members outside the association to participate in the initiative, thereby avoiding any ambiguity. The meeting further agreed that, should the proposal be successful, the BMA will lead the development of criteria to ensure compliance with applicable standards and recommended practices.”
