The creation of a
centralised border
management
agency is now a
step closer after the Border
Management Authority
(BMA) bill was passed in
parliament last week.
When it was first brought
before parliament on May
11 and June 6 respectively,
the Democratic Alliance and
the EFF staged walkouts,
resulting in a failure to
obtain the required 201
majority votes needed to
push the bill through.
However, on Thursday last
week, the African National
Congress (ANC) benches
were much fuller and the
Bill was passed after 218
members voted it in. A total
of 74 MPs voted against it.
There has been consensus
on the need for the
establishment of a single
entity to improve efficiency
and coordination at South
Africa’s border posts as a
means of easing congestion,
cutting down on corruption
and fast-tracking
trade across borders.
But there are
concerns around
the fact that it
falls under the
jurisdiction of the
Department of
Home Affairs as
well as the costs
involved in setting it
up. The DA and EFF
maintain that only
the South African
Revenue Service (Sars)
is mandated to handle
customs revenue.
DA MP Mohammed
Hoosen referred to the
BMA bill as “the worst
piece of legislation
that has come before
the house”, pointing
to ex-finance minister
Pravin Gordhan’s
concerns that SA could
not afford the R22 billion
needed to establish the
agency.
EFF spokesperson Floyd
Shivambu suggested
that Home Affairs
was in the pocket of
the Gupta brothers,
questioning whether it
should be put in charge
of such a significant
revenue source for the
country. Around 1% of
SA’s total tax revenue
is collected at the
borders.
Berto van der Lith,
divisional manager:
finance, admin and
logistics for Suzuki South
Africa, told FTW that
a centralised border
management agency
could significantly cut
down on border delays
for exports into Africa.
“Dealing with just one
entity would eliminate
the need for multiple
inspections,” he said.
Executive director of
Corruption Watch, David
Lewis, added that a single
agency could also address
the scourge of cross-border
corruption. “The more
organisations there are,
the more
opportunities
there are for
bribery and
corruption,”
he said.
He added,
however,
that his
organisation
shared the
political
opposition’s
concerns
about the governing
body responsible for the
management of the agency.
“National Treasury has, at
least until recently, had a
strong reputation for being
concerned about compliance
and fighting corruption
whereas the Department of
Home Affairs is notoriously
unconcerned about
corruption,” he commented.
Business Leadership
South Africa (BLSA) has
voiced strong objections
to the Bill. BLSA said that
functions
related
to trade
facilitation
– such as
phytosanitary
inspections
– would
be harmed
by the fact
that border
officials would
no longer
be working
under the supervision and
instruction of departments
with expertise in these
matters.
The Bill will now be
referred to the National
Council of Provinces for
concurrence before an
implementation date is set.
SA cannot not afford
the R22 billion
needed to establish
the agency.
– Mohammed Hoosen
