The ongoing thefts have a serious effect on the morale of customs staff who see their hard work being circumvented by corrupt colleagues HALF THE containers of illegal clothing imports sitting in container yards are emptied by crime syndicates, a customs audit has revealed. Customs recently carried out an audit on seized clothing shipments that it plans to sell overseas in the near future.
But half the containers examined were empty, with up to R10m in clothing gone missing. A shortage of space at state warehouses meant the containers had to be kept in ordinary depots.
The containers had been moved at night, their contents replaced by old car tyres and returned to their original position in the yard with their seals intact.
Customs officials say that private depot operators could be held liable for the losses which occurred in their yards. They have also been threatened with losing their licences.
However, the scale of thefts indicates a specific network that could include Customs and Portnet officials as well as freight industry operatives. The ongoing thefts have a serious effect on the morale of customs staff who see their hard work being circumvented by corrupt colleagues.
Investigations are continuing.
