On 20 September 2021, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced that it would implement enhancements to the Inspection Workflow System by introducing a Mobile Manual Case Creation (MCC) Application (MobiApp) at designated land ports of entry.
It accordingly released a letter from the Director Customs Border Operations, Ports of Entry and Customs Compliance to External Stakeholders, titled “Implementation of Manual Case Creation (MCC) MobiApp for customs officers”, which reads:
The MobiApp is part of the initiatives being put in place to enhance trade facilitation within the SMART Border Modernisation Initiative. It seeks to leverage on technology to improve service whilst ensuring compliance.
The Customs MobiApp inspection workflow system has already been implemented at other ports of entry such as Durban, Cape Town, Beitbridge, and OR Tambo International Airport.
The immediate benefits include improved inspection case management system and processing turnaround time, as well as the enrichment of data for customs risk management. The MobiApp will generate a case number for each manual inspection case created, which will be communicated to clients. This will enable clients to keep track of their consignment if required for enforcement intervention.
The letter is accessible at:
https://www.sars.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/Docs/CandE/Letter-to-Trade-New-Customs-MobiApp.pdf