Systems bridge the Customs divide

Avoiding the duplicate capture of Customs data is simple with the right systems in place, says Sydney Ramoorthy of systems specialists Core Freight Systems. While South Africa and Namibia use similar Customs and Excise legislation and a common external tariff structure, their Customs authorities operate different computer systems for the control of the goods imported and exported across the border, says Ramoorthy. “The Sars Customs Modernisation programme will ultimately see all SA declarations submitted to the new ‘Interfront’ application whereas Namibia makes use of the UN-sponsored Asycuda software package,” he said. “This implies that separate mechanisms are employed for the framing and submission of the required bill of entry declarations, although much of the data is identical,” he told FTW. “Users of the CoreFreight application are however able to output a computer file for upliftment into the Asycuda software package without the recapture of data.” CAPTION Sydney Ramoorthy … ‘clear benefits for all Africa business.’