Lack of consistency among customs officials remains a problem

There’s been significant improvement in cross-border relations over the past year, says Anthony Lee, managing director of Transport Holdings Limited. “Working more closely with customs officials has helped a great deal in improving the set-up,” he told FTW. “But we still have some issues to overcome – for example every time the staff changes due to their rotational system, the whole process begins again. In addition to that new officials also have their own interpretations of customs codes.” Representatives of Imperial Logistics in Botswana servicing the bulk fuel, general consolidation and mining industries in the country, THL frequently uses the Martins Drift, Gaborone and Lobatse border posts. “Punitive penalties, inconsistencies in tariff code classifications as well as delays associated with repair and return items remain our greatest challenges,” says Lee. “The elimination of the ‘discretion of the customs office’ would also contribute significantly to more efficient operations. Along with that all DTI/ EDI entries should be paperless and have no delays,” he says. “A simplified, streamlined process for handling repair and returns as well as longer border hours would be a great feat to accomplish.” He says another boon would be if combined customs and immigration procedures could be put in place for both countries as well as standardised road and vehicle legislation between SADC countries. “We have been informed that paperless border processes are being implemented in the near future,” says Lee who believes the implementation of new fines and procedures for cross-border operators by the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) in South Africa is set to have major implications for foreign operators. “Another aspect we are keeping a close eye on is the South African authorities’ intention to limit axle masses and possibly ban the transportation of certain commodities from certain roads.”