Digital maintenance and resulting downtime of cargo processing were properly communicated to cross-border service providers by the South African Revenue Service (Sars), a clearing agency has told Freight News.
According to Michael Henning, general manager at Easy Clear, the weekend’s planned systems upgrade was well communicated by the tax authority, yet it could have caused the current backlog at the Skilpadshek Border Post on the Trans-Kalahari Corridor (TKC).
“I know that Sars did an upgrade on Saturday and another on Sunday, which would have resulted in delayed processing as the system completely shuts down.”
He said the maintenance window had been communicated in advance and also posted on the Saaff group (South African Association of Freight Forwarders).
“We, as service providers, would also have notified our clients about the maintenance to avoid potential holdups.”
Yet, transporters using the TKC for shipping in-transit cargo to Namibia are blaming customs processing for Monday morning’s queue on the N4 highway.
Henning, who regularly engages with border authorities to speed up cargo on the corridor, especially since Botswana changed clearing requirements for consolidated cargo, said he understood why cross-border operators were disgruntled.
“If they’re blaming Sars for standing time at the border, there may be some truth in what they’re saying. But in all fairness to Sars, industry was told about the weekend’s work on the system.
“Ultimately, it’s done to improve service delivery.”
