Anna Cox
ABOUT 60% of unlawful cabotage happens in Gauteng, 14% in Cape Town and 9% in Durban.
These figures were recently released by the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA). C-BRTA law enforcement manager, Cor Rautenbach, said this was because most of the operators departed or offloaded in Gauteng as the province was the hub of business activity.
Unlawful cabotage involves a foreign registered vehicle picking up a load in one country and transporting it to another destination within the same country.
Rautenbach said the agency had made serious inroads into the drive to curb unlawful cabotage.
As stipulated by the Cross Border Road Transport Act 1998, we have the responsibility to protect local operators through the maintenance of effective law enforcement. While we understand the dynamics of operating in a global market, at the same time we have the responsibility of ensuring that South African operators are given preference in the local market. In short, it is our duty to ensure that there is fair competition in the local market, he said.
However, cabotage was not outlawed in its entirety, said Rautenbach. An operator wishing to undertake cabotage could apply to the C-BRTA for an official cabotage permit.
The agency's Regulatory Committee would then consider a number of factors, amongst others whether the cargo required a specialised vehicle which was not available from local operators.
Rautenbach said he was aware that cabotage could not be stamped out in its entirety as the industry was inclined to indulge in it, especially in short-distance hauls.
To eliminate it completely, the C-BRTA would have to increase the number of road transport inspectors drastically, he said.
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