Task team to ensure consistent charges for all over-border hauliers

Ensuring that South African
road operators are not
unduly prejudiced and are
participating on a level
playing field is high on the
agenda of the Cross-Border
Road Transport Agency
(CBRTA), the organisation’s
CEO, Sipho Khumalo, told
FTW.
He said the equalisation
of charges across the SADC
region was something
that had been taken up in
December with the minister
of Transport, Sbu Ndebele.
“We are in agreement that a
task team must be established
to take this matter further
and we are in the process
of doing this. We would
welcome the participation of
operators on this task team
that will engage with the
National Treasury around the
equalisation of charges and
other matters.”
This follows complaints by
South African operators that
they are unduly prejudiced
when crossing the borders of
the country and required to
pay a number
of taxes, duties and levies
that are not imposed on
foreign operators coming
into South Africa.
According to Barney
Curtis, executive director
of the Federation of East
and Southern African Road
Transport Associations
(Fesarta), this is a matter
that is also being taken up by
SADC itself.
“Non-tariff trade barriers
are a major concern that
has to be addressed in the
southern African region.
SADC is already dealing with
the harmonisation of the third
party system as well as some
of the road user charges. We
hope to see results on this
matter sooner rather than
later.”
Khumalo said an
equalisation of charges in
southern Africa was very
necessary, but they did not
want a situation where South
Africa was just going to
suddenly add charges from
their side. “The best way is to
rather cut the charges that are
being added in the north than
for us to just be spiteful and
charge their operators back.”
He said in the DRC there
was already an attempt to
cut down on their excessive
charges, while Zimbabwean
authorities would be
addressed about their charges.