Some respite from border police stoppages

The problem of lengthy
container stoppages and
examinations by the
SAPS border police in
both Gauteng and
the Port of Durban
appears to have
eased off after being
headlined by FTW
last September.
Our switchboard
had been
inundated with complaints
from importers, agents and
shipping companies who were
disturbed that these time- and
money-consuming
examinations
were being
“unnecessarily”
and “wastefully”
added to those
already conducted
by both the SA
Revenue Service
(Sars) customs and
the National
Regulator for Compulsory
Specifications (NRCS).
As we reported at the
time, this had led to a host
of container delivery delays,
dissatisfied importers and
their seriously
inconvenienced
customers.
Complainants
also pointed to
the fact that they
were having to lay
out considerable
amounts for
container
transport
and depot
stowage, and
also losing out
because of order
cancellations or late-delivery
fees.
It all got so bad that some
sort of legal class action was
hinted at.
But before it got to that stage,
complaints were registered
directly with SAPS in Durban,
and in Gauteng tabled by the
SA Association of Freight
Forwarders (Saaff) before
the Border
Control
Operational
Coordinating
Committee
(BCOCC)
– which
involves
government
institutions
in the border
control and
security
framework,
including
SAPS, Sars and the NRCS.
And these tactics appear
to have succeeded. According
to Carl Webb, MD of Project
Logistics Management in
Durban and a member of both
Saaff and the Road Freight
Association (RFA), the fastaccelerating
border police
stoppages suddenly had the
brakes applied.
“We registered a number of
complaints and queries with
SAPS about the frequency of
the stoppages and the worrying
length of time the examinations
consumed,” he told FTW. “And
these seem to have got through.
We haven’t seen any unjustified
stoppages for quite a while.”
The high-level complaint
from Saaff also had an effect,
according to CEO, Dave
Logan. “We had meetings
with the BCOCC in Gauteng,”
he said. “And, while SAPS
is still stopping containers,
the turnaround time is most
definitely much quicker. Also,
our relationship with the
authorities has improved.”
INSERT
While SAPS is still
stopping containers,
the turnaround time
is most definitely
much quicker.
– Dave Logan