SAAFF and Customs to meet over proposed scrapping of off-airport degrouping

"The feeling is that these de-grouping centres were working well" MEETINGS ARE currently planned to try to sort out last year's disturbing news for airfreight forwarders that NIDS (National Inter-Departmental Structure on Border Control) intended to close down all off-airport de-grouping facilities (See FTW September 29, 2000). This follows confirmation from Airports Company (ACSA) of its intention to build a mid-airport cargo centre - with its own de-grouping unit - at Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) by 2006. Freight users accused ACSA of vested self interest in this plan, and condemned NIDS for the closure "bombshell" it had dropped. Bodies like the Airside Operators Association (AOA) and the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) pointed out that this action would effectively kill off the degrouping facilities already established by a number of forwarders at their own expense. These, said SAAFF executive director, Edward Little, were originally developed to help ACSA relieve the stress on the current airport facilities, which were considered "inadequate". "The feeling is that these de-grouping centres were working well," he added, "and there is no need for a new facility. It would only make more money for ACSA." Little also slammed NIDS for involving itself in this issue on such contentious grounds. "They said, for example and without any proof whatsoever, that drugs could come in through the forwarders' facilities." The NIDS decision was also questioned by AOA executive officer, Charles Wroth. "They perceive these operations to be of high risk," he said. "That can probably be translated as loss of revenue to the state." The latest move is SAAFF trying to arrange a high-level meeting with customs' project leader Itchie Shaik and his team. "We need to see if this is how they intend the de-grouping function to operate and whether they support this rather bureaucratic, and arguable, ruling by NIDS."