Customs closes the door on vehicles in transit concession

Blatant abuse forces change of regulations
Alan Peat
A LOOPHOLE has been closed and imported commercial vehicles moving through SA on their way to overborder destinations will no longer be able to be driven as they transit this country.
The department of transport has announced that it will no longer be issuing temporary registration permits for vehicles in transit - with effect from July 1.
“It had to come,” said Tim Driman, head of the Durban-based TLD group.
“Unfortunately, the concessions were abused and blatantly used to import “used” vehicles of 3 500-kilograms or above into SA under the pretence that they were being moved through SA to an overborder destination - but were doing a loop straight back into the country, if they even went this far.”
The procedure required the vehicle to be taken to a test station which does the appropriate tests, then issues a COF and brake test certificate.
On the strength of this, the bill of entry (BoE) was presented and a temporary licence acquired.
The vehicle then had SABS-approved retro-reflective tape slapped along both sides and the chevrons stuck on the rear.
“This all takes a day or so, said Driman, “and then it can comply with the road traffic legislation for a vehicle to be driven on SA roads.”
All this ostensibly required to qualify for a cross border permit for the vehicle’s “export” journey.
But with the loophole, unscrupulous operators went through the process - and then a day later returned to the licensing office with the irrelevant documents (that BoE, for example) concealed in their hip pockets, slapped the COF and temporary licence on the counter, and had the vehicle SA-registered.
It was now an illegal import, but fully-registered to go about its transport business on the SA roads.
“I pointed out this contentious issue to customs and the SABS people at least four years back,” Driman told FTW, “but the department of transport insisted that the public complied with its road traffic legislation.
“It was a case where bureaucracy shot itself in the foot, and there were obviously those scoring out of such a loophole.”
It had all been caused by a dispensation by conflicting groups of authorities – a goodwill gesture that had gone sour.
But a DoT policy document signed by John Motsatsing on behalf of the director general of transport showed that the authorities had got the message.
The crux of the matter, the document stated, was that special permits “may only be issued to motor vehicles that are intended to be registered and licensed in the Republic”.
"Accordingly," said the DG, "It is quite clear from the discussion highlighted above that both the temporary or special permit were not intended to be issued to motor vehicles traversing the Republic."
This new move has closed the loophole, according to Driman – although it still allows legitimate “in transit” movement of vehicles. But they will now have to be piggy-backed on low-beds across SA and over the border to their true export destination.
“Customs have clearly overridden the department of transport,” said Driman, “and instructed them to close the door.”