On 16 June 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO) informed that with the support of its Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, Lesotho and South Africa had conducted an end-to-end Time Release Study (TRS) at the Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg Bridge border posts. The TRS initiative was built on the successful joint TRS conducted at the Oshoek-Ngwenya border posts between Eswatini and South Africa in November 2023. The coordination between Lesotho and South Africa underscores the importance of the Maseru bridge and Ficksburg bridge border posts, which handle by a significant margin the highest volume of cross-border traffic, with Lesotho accounting for over 40% of all cross-border movement of people across South Africa’s borders with its neighbouring countries.
The joint TRS is a critical diagnostic tool used to measure cargo clearance performance at the border through an end-to-end approach. It captures time stamps from the moment a truck enters the border on the Lesotho side to when it exits on the South African side and vice versa. The initiative is a key priority for both Lesotho and South Africa in effectively implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). It aims to create a more efficient and business-friendly border environment.
At the TRS launch event marking high-level commitment and significant buy-in for the TRS, the Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) Commissioner of Client Services noted that “this study marks a critical milestone in our continuous efforts to modernise and enhance border operations”. He further underlined that “by streamlining procedures, we do not only improve the ease of trade but also enhance our competitiveness in the region”. All speakers emphasised the critical need for collaboration between border agencies and the private sector, advocating for a bi-national, whole-of-nation approach to trade facilitation. The South African Revenue Service Director of Customs highlighted the possible impact of the end-to-end TRS, referring to the 2024 TRS at the Oshoek-Ngwenya border post, where clearance times were significantly reduced due to improved processes and coordination resulting from the TRS recommendations.
The TRS was supported by subject matter experts from Mauritius, Namibia and The Gambia, and was based on the WCO’s Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme’s blended approach to capacity development. Virtual training sessions took place in March-April 2025, covering TRS methodology, TRS scoping, business process mapping, data collection strategies, and the use of the WCO TRS Software. This was followed by on-site activities at Maseru Bridge from 5-16 May, which included technical workshops, pilot testing, walkthroughs of border procedures, survey development, and the training of enumerators. The data collection phase for the TRS was conducted at the Maseru Bridge border post from 12-16 May, 27 and 28 May, and at the Ficksburg Bridge from 26 May to 6 June.
Looking ahead, the TRS National Technical Working Groups will analyse the data and conduct national validation workshops with key stakeholders. The TRS reports are expected to be finalised by November 2025, in alignment with the national TRS implementation plans of both South Africa and Lesotho. The WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme looks forward to its continued collaboration with RSL and SARS to foster sustainable development and economic growth by creating an enhanced, predictable, and efficient trade environment.