Customs expertise on call

Constantly changing
regulations and new intergovernment
agreements
mean that some doors
are always being closed
and others opened for
exporters and importers
wanting to move products
in and out of Zimbabwe,
says Juren Mtemeli,
managing director of Cilo
Freight.
He advises any
company wanting to
start manufacturing or
producing products for
export out of Zimbabwe,
or those wanting to move
goods into the country,
to include a review of
the customs procedures
– and possible future
developments – in their
planning.
One of the services
offered by the company
is customs consulting in
order to help clients plan
and cost more effectively
by taking advantage of the
dispensations which are
available while complying
with the law, he says.
The constant changes
mean that sometimes
the customs officials
themselves have not been
able to keep up, and need
to be guided through the
codes and regulations by
the clearing house.
“There are, for example,
different regulations
governing trade with
members of Comesa
and of the Sadec trading
blocks. In addition, there
are bilateral agreements
between Zimbabwe and its
neighbours.
“We help our clients
enjoy the maximum
utilisation of the
concessions available
under the different
agreements,” says the
Zimbabwe customs
veteran, who started Cilo
Freight in 1994 after
taking early retirement
from customs where he
had risen to the post of
assistant director.
With a team of 36
people based at all the
major Zimbabwean border
posts, Cilo Freight is
able to keep up with the
latest customs regulations
and developments,
and provides customs
consulting as part of
its services to existing
clients, as well as on a fee
basis for those companies
researching the market.