Busa revives idea of freight focus group

Business Unity South Africa is set to meet with ministers and other roleplayers over the next few months in an effort to address issues of concern. These include resuscitating a focus group to discuss the movement of freight with key government officials, said Busa CEO Jerry Vilakazi. Speaking at the annual South African Association of Freight Forwarders Congress in Johannesburg recently, Vilakazi said this group had been in discussion with government for some time. “We hope to resuscitate this group with the new government now in place,” he said. “It is critical to engage with the various government departments such as Sars, DTI and Transport. Aspects such as policy coordination and implementation and infrastructure upgrades remain topics that need to talked about.” He said therefore it was important for Busa to have a representative on the Sars/Customs forum, to monitor the development of these agencies, the changes they proposed and the impact they have on business. “We represent business and freight forwarders like yourselves are businesses and therefore we represent you. We ensure that the voice of business is heard and that there is input on a variety of levels.” He said whether it be the impact of the global economic crisis or Eskom’s proposed 34% tariff increase or the Competition Act, it was about making sure business had the opportunity to raise its concerns in decisions affecting them. “Many Saaff members are involved in the day-to-day trading in the SADC region and your input to us is important as we facilitate trade in the region.”