Customs issues in the spotlight

This week’s dialogue between SA Revenue Service Customs and its clients centres around issues of service delivery. It follows an initiative put in place by FTW through its sister online publication FTNow inviting readers to email their complaints to us. These were then forwarded to Vuso Shabalala, general manager – operations for the Gauteng region, for his response. AN EXPORT cargo consign­ment is due to be loaded on a ship by March 3, but the earliest customs can examine it is March 7. This was the story about the re-export of a previously imported cargo being handled on behalf of a client by a clearing agent in Alberton. And it was because the agent had to organise an “examination without prejudice (EWP)” so that the export client could reclaim the original import duty he had laid out before getting ready to re-export the consignment. But customs couldn’t meet the necessary loading date with the EWP – only promising it for three days after the vessel was due to leave harbour. Why? “I discussed this problem with customs at Alberton,” said the agent, “and the reply that I received is that they have one person to handle these outside exams and he was presently in hospital – and no one had any idea when and if he was to return.” With the customer under pressure from the overseas consignee, he advised the agent to ignore the exam and keep the booking for the vessel departing March 3 - and he would forfeit his import customs duty of around R18 500. Meantime, one of the staff at Alberton customs had asked the agent to contact her on February 27 – and she would see what she could do. It really is a joke the way that these customs matters are handled, the agent added, also telling FTW that certain people at Alberton customs had asked him to write to the controller and ask that the Alberton department employs more staff to handle these very important matters.