There is no intention to discontinue the use of rail nor to disrupt the smooth movement of goods and cause major congestion at ports. Therefore, inland terminals will not close.
This was the unequivocal message from Kosie Louw, chief officer: legal and policy division at Sars, noting that there were still various “misleading” statements being made in the media around the new Customs Acts bringing about the demise of inland terminals such as City Deep in Johannesburg.
“Ultimately, when the bills are implemented, goods can still be consigned to inland terminals,” he said.
He said that with the introduction of the new Acts, Sars was simply aiming to improve its risk assessment and to better inform industry stakeholders through a more transparent process.
“Eventually, once the systems are operating optimally, goods will be cleared three calendar days ahead of their arrival,” said Louw.
