Swazi electronic customs ‘bugs’ road hauliers

Mbabane – Misery will be indefinitely shared by road freight hauliers bringing goods into Swaziland until the bugs are worked out of Swaziland’s new electronic customs system. “Swaziland implemented its new computerised cargo clearance system without adequately preparing the customs people at border posts. It doesn’t work. The computers on the Swazi side aren’t linked to the computers on the South African side, and the two systems are incompatible,” reported one disgruntled shipper. Pauline Mkambule, operations manager at Speedy Overborder, which moves break bulk loads via Oshoek Border post from Swaziland to Johannesburg and back, said: “We really don’t have any idea when the systems will be working together. For now there is double inspection of goods. A truck cleared on the South African side is still inspected on the Swazi side.” FTW attended a briefing given to shippers last year by SA and Swazi customs authorities to explain the workings of electronic customs clearing programmes required by Sacu. At the meeting shippers were assured that though Swaziland would be using the Asycuda system, which was given free to government as part of developmental aid from Italy, Asycuda would be compatible with SA’s DTI system. But the systems aren’t meshing. Cargo cleared on the Swaziland side is reportedly waved through by SA customs agents. Under Sacu guidelines, the same treatment is to be reciprocated on the Swazi side for cargo cleared by SA customs agents. “The trouble is the Swazi agents still want to inspect cargo. It’s like they don’t trust the South African inspection,” said one shipper. The delay is doubling time cargo spends at border posts. Meanwhile, Swazi customs is requiring a R100 000 bond from all clearing and forwarding companies before they will be certified on the Asycuda system. The bond is required even of long-established firms, and is proving a burden for cash-strapped smaller transport companies. “It’s like the little companies are being forced out of business by this system,” said one clearing and forwarding agent.