The initiative is not only concerned with point-of-entry control THE DUST has settled at Johannesburg International Airport after the highly publicised blitz on smuggling and customs fraud. However, police and customs officials have warned that they have targeted illegal imports as a priority and will continue to crack down at all ports of entry.
Official estimates put the revenue losses at R17bn a year, a substantial loss the treasury cannot afford.
A Ôcollective management approach' was approved by cabinet earlier this year to help government agencies and business work closely together to crush smuggling. Up to 17 state and business concerns now work together to fight highly organised smuggling syndicates that are increasingly using violence to safeguard their activities.
Airport authorities check only about 1% of passengers and goods that pass through their gates. The new initiative hopes to increase this to 15%, the accepted international mark.
The initiative is not only concerned with point-of-entry control. Customs and police officials have begun to track down and confiscate goods that have made it past the first hurdles into SA. A number of Isando warehouses have been raided in the past few months. In one instance, goods worth almost R1m on the market were confiscated after undercover police managed to infiltrate smuggling syndicates.
Law enforcement agents have also begun widespread confiscation of counterfeit goods being sold at flea markets and by informal traders. They hope that by applying pressure to all aspects of trade-related crime they may eventually force smugglers out of business.
Other successes have included the recent arrests of a Lenasia businessman and members of his family for alleged involvement in theft of containers from City Deep. A special task force that reports directly to Safety and Security minister Sidney Mufamadi has made a dent in container crime, assisted by local businesses and container park officials.
BY GAVIN DU VENAGE
