Bureaucracy prevents free flow of goods across the region

IN A bid to curtail growing smuggling operations
across South African border posts, Zimbabwean
authorities recently expanded their vehicle scanning facilities at Beit Bridge.
Trading division MD of Cargo Carriers,
Mike Scott, believes the added delay caused
by mandatory scanning of all south-bound
vehicles crossing SADC’s busiest border post has
implications for regional trade growth.
“As trade in the region increases, so does the
cross-border movement of contraband which ranges
from black market cigarettes to stolen vehicles.
“The value of road transport into SADC countries
is in the speed of movement from the source to
receipt point, and the safety of goods. Because the driver is in constant control of the cargo the loss of goods in transit is small.”
While he recognises the progress made through
the pre-framing of clearance documents and a
24-hour operation at Beit Bridge, he is enthusiastic about the further gains to be made. In his opinion, Beit Bridge serves as an excellent test case for border post operations throughout the SADC region.
“The chief cause for congestion at Southern
African border posts is bureaucracy in the form of enormous amounts of administration required, a
shortage of staff and some budgetary constraints,” he says. “Improvements will be brought about by installing electronic clearance systems and particularly the creation of one-stop border posts.”
This will relieve congestion, speeding up and
streamlining the passage of goods both into and
from the member SADC countries.
Both proposals are dependent on more basic
developments. The electronic upgrades can only be
implemented regionally with a broader technological infrastructure in place in the relevant countries.
For the one-stop border clearance to be
viable and effective, closer cooperation between
the governments of SADC member countries is
necessary. Agreements will also need to be reached on visa regulations for drivers transporting goods by road to various member countries. The application
time, expediency of issue, cost and entry restrictions constrict transportation and hence, trade.
In Scott’s view issues such as smuggling need
to be addressed at a level higher than just border control. “If we can solve the congestion problems at Beit Bridge we would be in a favourable position to help facilitate the roll-out of effective border clearance operations throughout the SADC region.”