Speed of electronic clearance improves at Oshoek

The discrepancy in customs clearance time between the SA side of Oshoek border post and the Swaziland side of the cross that bears most of the road freight traffic into and out of the country remains the bane of transporters. But Claude Govender, manager of Cross Continental Carriers in Matsapha, took a look at data from his truck’s GPS tracking systems for FTW, and found a surprising reversal in September. “In the past it used to take 20 minutes to clear South African customs. For Swaziland it has been one hour. We have been checking the stats and we are pleased to confirm over the past weeks the turnaround time has been as follows: Swaziland, 20min; South Africa, 30min,” Govender said. Could it be that after a year of trying, Swazi customs officials are getting the hang of the Asycuda system? The dual system of electronic clearance – EDI in SA and Asycuda in Swaziland – has been a problem up to now. Full efficiency awaits the adoption of a single system by both countries, but at least the time discrepancy appears to be diminishing. Cross Continental Carriers has five years’ experience shuttling goods cross border – full loads and consolidations – and while its core business is intermodal transport (rail/road/air) – the firm acts as local agents for various freight forwarders and courier companies, as well as acting as agent for Hamburg Sűd. “Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s a nightmare,” Govender said, summing up the erratic nature of customs clearance procedures that remain a sometimes daunting challenge for shippers into the country. At times of emergencies, humanitarian aid cannot wait for red tape. With up to two-thirds of Swazis depending on food aid at any given time, assurance of delivery is critical, and agents charged with the movement of aid for the World Food Programme call upon Cross Continental Carriers to bring wheat in from Maputo. Govender echoes the opinion of other Swaziland clearing and forwarding executives that the Transnet strike impacted their business more than any other 2010 event. “We were affected both directly and indirectly. We lost business because of the strike but we also lost potential business because there was a drop in confidence about doing business in the region. If the strikes continue Swaziland’s economy will definitely take a hit,” he said.