The cross-border road freight industry wants the South African Revenue Service (Sars) to roll out 24-hour operations until backlogs at various border crossings into Botswana have been eased, but the state-owned entity responsible for customs processes is apparently not budging.
According to Mike Fitzmaurice, regional vice-president of the African Union’s Organisation for Transport and Logistics (AUTLO), long-haul operators have been in crisis ever since the Groblersbrug Border Post closed due to flooding, forcing trucks to divert to alternative transits – Kopfontein, Skilpadshek and Ramatlabama (read this for context).
He said the loss of a crossing dedicated to in-transit cargo heading from South Africa through Botswana to the Copperbelt had caused serious congestion at the borders further south, where hauliers wait up to seven days to cross.
A queue of Botswana-bound trucks at Kopfontein over the weekend stretched for 22 kilometres.
Although the Botswana Unified Revenue Service has undertaken to extend operating hours until 2am in a bid to speed up cargo processing, Sars is apparently maintaining the existing operational hours of 6am to 10pm at Ramatlabama, and 6am to midnight at Skilpadshek and Kopfontein.
“Meanwhile, companies are going out of business,” Fitzmaurice said.
“I know of an operator in Polokwane with a fleet of about 400 trucks who has gone into business rescue because of what’s happening at the moment.”
Previously, trucks carrying loads meant for Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo bypassed Botswana due to the over-regulation of in-transit cargo heading through Zimbabwe.
Excessive charges by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority contributed to long-haul transporters preferring to use Groblersbrug (GBR) rather than Beitbridge.
However, the once free-flowing detour around Zimbabwe is now suddenly overburdened by extreme backlogs.
Fitzmaurice has also confirmed what a cargo clearing agent told Freight News—that although the level of the Limpopo has subsided and the bridge across the river at GBR can be used, no cargo is being processed due to water damage to computerised customs facilities.
“Sars should be able to deploy manual processing in times like these, but they’re not. They don’t seem to really care that transporters are currently facing a crisis.”
Fitzmaurice said there was a real need for contingency measures at the moment, even if it meant extending operating hours until the backlog at the alternative borders was cleared.
“It’s very important that trade facilitation in a time of crisis is given due urgency. Large fleet concerns are suffering major profit losses because of not being able to move loads according to deadlines.
“What we are seeing on our border with Botswana is a very serious situation.”
- Sars was approached for comment.
