In a letter dated 06 December 2010 titled “Procedure For Customs Clients At Van Der Walt Street” the South African Revenue Service Sars advises that following the move of all trade-related operations from Customs House in Schoeman street to the Sars office in Van der Walt Street on that day, stakeholders have requested clarity on the procedure for Customs clients at Van der Walt Street. The letter reads as follows: Firstly, clients are asked to take note that the operating hours at the Pretoria branch are 8am to 4pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 9am to 4pm on Wednesday. The hours are NOT the same as those of Customs House, so clients are asked to take note of the new hours. However, if clients do arrive early and notice a queue outside the office, they must NOT join the queue but must go straight to enquiries in the entrance of the building. They will then be given a number – which will be valid for the whole day – and told which queue to join. Public parking near the Van der Walt Street office is available underground below the Tramshed (opposite the Sars office) or further on along Schoeman Street. The following services are available at the Van der Walt Street office: • Routine Customs queries • Receipt of all Customs proof of payments • Receipt of manual Customs declarations. However, no processing will occur at this branch and a turnaround time of 48 hours will apply to declarations submitted in this manner • Receipt of Customs payments • There WILL be pigeon holes made available at the enquiry counter at Van der Walt Street. Client documentation will be printed on request. The majority of Customs staff members from Customs House, including inspectors, have moved to the Sars building in Doringkloof. Once inspections have been booked with the relevant team member, clients can collect the inspectors at 7 Protea Street, Doringkloof. When they arrive at Doringkloof, they should tell security that they are collecting Customs inspectors at Block C, 2nd floor. Once in Block C, they should ask security to call Noxolo Sam (for Cargo Team) or Maria Maginidana (for Ops Team) for an inspector to come down. For further information and to track the progress of your entries, please contact the Sars call centre on 0800 00 7277.