Customs Modernisation hits Lebombo

Lebombo will be the first land border post to go live with the Customs Modernisation Release 2 this weekend. According to a SARS spokesman implementations will include the introduction of an electronic case management system, called Service Manager, a new inspection process, electronic submission of supporting documents, new Customs status codes, and the replacement of the DA74 form with release notifications “In terms of inspections, Lebombo will be following a similar pattern of workload balancing to the SARS Customs offices that went live with Release 2 over the past month,” said the spokesman. This is the first step towards centralising Customs’ back-end functions in four hubs or compliance centres – in Durban, Cape Town, Alberton and Doringkloof. In the case of Lebombo it will be linked through the system to the Pretoria/ Doringkloof office and all EDI-generated cases will automatically be routed to Doringkloof for documentary inspection. Only “manually submitted” cases and those submitted electronically after hours (before 8am or after 5pm) will be processed at Lebombo. But, all physical inspections will, however, still take place at Lebombo at the KM7 for full unpacks (import and export), export tailboards and export supervisions and at the cargo bypass area at the border post for import tailboards and export acquittals. “Traders are requested to submit all supporting documents electronically from this weekend,” said the spokesman. “For the first time Lebombo traders can make use of free software provided by service providers, called e@syScan, which will enable them to submit documents speedily from the comfort of their home or office computer or they can submit them at one of Customs’ four bulk scanning facilities in Doringkloof, Alberton, Cape Town or Durban.” In the near future paper supporting documents will no longer be accepted at Lebombo and it will become compulsory for traders to submit all supporting documents electronically. However, for now, they will still be accepted at the Service Desk of KM7. Bookings and general queries can still be made at the Lebombo KM7 office and the border post service desk, said the spokesman.