South Africa’s intention to change axle mass loads from 9-tons per four-wheel axle to 8-tons contradicts a regional agreement signed last year. South Africa’s minister of transport in May 2009 signed an agreement with neighbouring countries that 10 tons would be the regional norm, even though at the time the country noted that it would not be adopting the 10 tons at the time. “South Africa definitely accepted the recommendation for the region that was 10 tons on a single axle,” says Barney Curtis, executive director of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta). “And not even six months later the Department of Transport announced its intention to reduce axle mass from 9-tons to 8-tons.” Curtis said while the DoT had since admitted that the notification of the reduction in axle masses and the removal of certain commodities off the secondary road network was premature, the move by the country was definitely seen as a non-tariff barrier. “We are in the process of putting a submission together which we will give to SADC as we believe South Africa’s move to axle mass reductions is a nontariff barrier that must be addressed.” In the meantime the South African Road Freight Association has also met with the DoT and has also put together extensive legal documentation in its attempts to prevent the DoT from implementing the reductions.
