New bond store rules clarified

THERE HAS been quite a furore surrounding the new rules that require warehousing bills of entry to be passed at the office of the controller of customs under whose jurisdiction the warehouse (bond store) falls.
This led to customs delaying its implementation until December 1.
However, the authorities now feel that the issue has been clarified.
Released to FTW by a major forwarder, is the following interpretation of the current requirements:
l Warehousing bills of entry must be passed at the customs office that controls the bond store in which the goods will be held (For example, for cargo manifested to Cape Town and intended to be held in a bond store at Johannesburg, a removal in bond (RIB) must be passed at Cape Town to allow the goods to be transported to Johannesburg. A warehousing entry in acquittal of the RIB must then be passed at Johannesburg);
l At Johannesburg International Airport, warehousing entries may only be passed for cargo being warehoused within the Johannesburg, Germiston and Pretoria customs control areas. At Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban airports warehousing bills of entry will be accepted for bonded warehouses within those respective areas only.
The forwarder also suggests the following tip if you want to minimise delays and avoid duplicate documentation costs.
You should ensure that foreign suppliers are given clear instructions regarding the final destination in SA to which shipments should be manifested.