The South African Revenue Service (SARS) cannot yet provide a completion date for South Africa’s National Single Window being introduced in phases across government agencies involved in regulating cross-border trade.
The planned system will provide traders with a single point to submit standardised regulatory information for imports, exports and transit.
“The National Single Window is a multi-agency government initiative that requires coordination across several organs of state involved in regulating cross-border trade,” SARS told Freight News.
SARS is working with stakeholders in the phased implementation of the platform. While integrating different authorities and systems, SARS cannot provide a definitive date for full implementation.
Additionally, SARS could not show Freight News a list of agencies currently integrated into the system as participation will be phased according to agreed priorities and institutional readiness.
The published SARS implementation plan identifies the departments of agriculture and health, the Border Management Authority (BMA), Transnet, the South African Police Service and several other state bodies as agencies affected by the project.
Initial workflow implemented
An electronic inspection workflow was implemented in September 2023, according to SARS. This allows SARS to generate inspection cases electronically and share them with the BMA’s agriculture function, which can return the inspection outcomes through a secure interface.
SARS said selected plant product importers are participating in phased testing of the workflow before its wider introduction.
Other planned phases include electronic permits and certificates, customs declaration submissions for small businesses, inspection bookings and additional customs services.
Speaking at an Institute of Customs, Freight Forwarding and Supply Chain Management masterclass on September 2, Maersk South Africa Customs House Brokerage Quality Assurer Wendy Naidoo outlined the move from paper-based customs processes towards an integrated, data-driven model.
“The single window principle is about submitting standardised information at the same time,” Naidoo said.
“It allows authorised regulatory agencies to access the same trusted data within their respective legal mandates.”
The system intends to reduce duplicate submissions and improve the exchange of information between regulators. SARS said the expected benefits include a lower administrative burden and reduced compliance costs.
However, SARS cautioned that the extent of these benefits will depend on the scope of implementation and participation across the wider trade system.
SARS did not provide estimates of the expected reductions in cargo clearance times or compliance costs.
