Refurbished state warehouse open for business

The first of eight refurbished state warehouses in the country has been completed and is open for business. The Cape Town state warehouse was officially opened by South African Revenue Service commissioner Tom Moyane on International Customs Day last week. The state warehouse refurbishment programme was initiated in 2014 and implemented at eight prioritised sites. The refurbishment of facilities at Beitbridge, Musina, Groblers Bridge, Lebombo, OR Tambo International Airport, Durban and Karsene is ongoing. The main purpose of the warehouse is to secure the duty and VAT due on undeclared, abandoned or seized goods. Declared goods detained provisionally for the correct tariff classification or without a permit are also stored in state warehouses as are confiscated illicit and counterfeit goods. Improvements to the warehouse include the introduction of tighter security processes and a new in-house upgraded information management system that will be able to track all goods coming in and out of the facility. According to group executive for customs, Vonani Ntlhabyane, the new warehouses will enable customs to deal decisively with illegal and counterfeit goods that contribute to the illicit economy and loss of revenue to the state.