Itac Looking for
Number 2
On 15 January 2016
the International Trade
Administration Commission
of South Africa (Itac)
published a notice calling
for nominations for the
position of Itac deputy chief
commissioner.
The successful candidate
will be part of senior
management with a mandate
to promote employment and
investment as well as raise
incomes in South Africa
and the other Southern
African Customs Union
(SACU) countries through
the administration of
international trade.
The closing date for
applications is
29 January 2016.
Itac’s Outdated
Publications
On the home page of Itac five
types of publication are listed:
(i) Trade Indicators;
(ii) Trade Bulletin;
(iii) Occasional Papers;
(iv) SA Trade Reports; and
(v) Impact Evaluation Reports.
Considering that it is now
2016, with the exception of
the Impact Evaluation Report
dated 2015, all reports date
back to 2014 or 2013. Trade
Bulletin is dated May 2013
‘South Africa’s trade relations
with the EU: Implications for
the local agricultural sector’;
Occasional Papers May 2014
– ‘Anchoring Growth and
Employment: The Interaction
between Manufacturing and
Services in South Africa’;
and Occasional Papers - Nov
2013 – ‘African Growth and
Opportunity Act (Agoa):
How far and Where to from
here’; and SA Trade Reports
– Trade Report 2014. The
aforementioned may well be in
process as the December 2015
merchandise trade statistics
should be officially released at
the end of the month.
Perishable Products
Export Bill
The Department of
Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries (Daff) on 15 January
2016 published the Draft
Perishable Products Export
Control Bill, 2015 for public
comment which is due on
14 February.
Some of the key
amendments of the bill
include: (i) Promotion of
an orderly, efficient and
sustainable cold chain for
the export of perishable
products from the Republic;
(ii) Provision for the legal
framework for the regulation
and monitoring of the cold
chain; (iii) Introduction of a
cold chain information system
and data base; (iv) Promotion
of broad based black economic
empowerment by black
farmers, rural communities
and exporters; and (v)
Monitoring, evaluation,
assessment and reporting on
the cold chain.
Tobacco Rule −
Extension
On 14 January 2016 the
South African Revenue
Service (Sars) announced an
extension to 31 January of the
comment period for the draft
amendment to the Rules to
the Customs and Excise Act
for functional sealed counters
for tobacco manufacturing
equipment.
Mutual Administrative
Assistance
Sars has announced that in
terms of its International
Treaties and Agreements
under the Mutual
Administrative Assistance
in Customs (MAAs), one
with Zimbabwe entered into
force on 01 October 2015 and
another with Sudan on
01 December 2015.
Two SADC Countries
Ratify TFA
The World Trade Organisation
(WTO) has announced that
Lesotho and the Seychelles
have ratified the Trade
Facilitation Agreement.
DUTY CALLS
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