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.