Botswana company provides value-added support Total solutions for cross-border freight

ALAN PEAT
A SIX year old joint venture between SA and Botswana companies to form Imperilog Botswana has added serious muscle to the inland and international freight, customs clearing, warehousing, distribution and inventory management community in Gaborone, Botswana.
“Although our focus is on logistics support for the information technology (IT) industry,” said MD KP Vijayakumar, “we have diversified our activities into a more value-added support to various segments of other industries - providing total solutions to their overnight cross-border freight, removal of goods in bond and electronic customs clearances.”
Being a land-locked country, Botswana’s import and export cargo is mostly routed through SA seaports or airports, Vijayakumar added.
And, although Botswana and SA are in a common customs union, the customs regulations in force either require the transit cargo to be customs cleared in SA or to be removed in transit bond to the place of destination.
“Understanding the need of the trade and the compliance of the customs regulations,” said Vijayakumar, “we have a bonded warehouse within the licensing jurisdiction of Botswana customs and are also licensed to remove the goods in bond with SA Revenue Service (SARS).”