Currency restrictions add new challenges

Following the conclusion of Angola’s protracted civil war, the reconstruction of the national economy commenced, with transport firms leading the way by bringing necessary industrial inputs and consumer goods up from SA. These hauliers learned the challenges of shipping in the country, and found ways to adapt. “We’ve been shipping to Angola for six years, since the end of the war. We ship anything and everything – bulk, breakbulk, reefers, all sort of products,” said Jeff Smit, the owner of Cross Africa. Located in Spartan (Kempton Park), Cross Africa has parking facilities for trucks on site, where goods are loaded en route to port for the sea voyage to Angola. “We have a lot of subcontractors working from our premises, running our loads into southern Africa,” Smit said. “We use several lines, including Safmarine, MSC and NDSL. Luanda port is pretty congested, so we use other ports,” he noted. Even in the best of circumstances, the movement of cargo from ports can be very time consuming – from platform inspections onward. This year’s new challenge is restrictions placed on currency movement. “The economy has slowed down a bit because of the Angolan Reserve Bank restrictions on money moving out. This started a few months ago. Obviously we don’t extend credit to Angola. We need upfront payments, and this has affected business somewhat,” Smit said. But with the Angolan market showing such promise, ways will be found to deal with this any other challenges that may arise, he said.