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Compliance Deadline
SA ‘online’ customs
procedures get another
three-month deadline
By Juanita Maree
SARS has announced that the date for the introduction of mandatory advance
reporting of containerised cargo destined for SA ports with penalties has been
pushed back to 1 November from 1 August.
THE PERIOD of relief comes after a SARS of SARS’s New Customs Acts Programme
survey found that while certain categories (NCAP). RCG is part of the World Customs
such as carriers are quite advanced in their Organisation’s (WCO) adoption of the SAFE
state of readiness, others, including freight Framework of Standards to Secure and
forwarders and facility-based reporters such Facilitate Global Trade (known just as the
as terminal/transit shed operators and depot SAFE Framework) to act as a deterrent to
licensees, are ‘significantly behind’ and will illicit trade, secure revenue collections and
not be able to meet the August deadline, the promotion of trade facilitation worldwide.
according to the Acting Chief Officer, Maree, a SAAFF Director and a member
Customs and Excise, Beyers Theron. of the World Customs Organisation (WCO)
“South Africa will follow international Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG),
trends with this development, which requires points out the wide-ranging eff ect on trade
carriers and forwarders to submit ‘advance and industry. “Those impacted include
loading notices’ to SARS Customs at master shipping lines, airlines, the national rail carrier,
and house bill of lading levels, 24 hours prior road hauliers, freight forwarders, port and
to vessel departure,” says Johan Marais, who airport authorities, terminal operators, wharf
is a South Africa Freight Forwarders’ (SAAFF) operators, transit shed operators, licensees of
Consultant on customs and regulations. depots and registered agents. In general, the
“Implementation of electronic reporting impact on land clients will be minimal as most
will do away with the archaic and laborious road carriers have already been submitting
manually-driven paper systems – known as electronic reports since the Manifest
‘ships papers’ in the past – providing new Processing System (MPR) was introduced in
efficiencies in the face of ever increasing 2016. However, for many sea and air modality
cargo movements. Many carriers spend clients, who have never submitted electronic
hundreds of thousands of rand a year reports before, the implementation may
on paper and administrative costs alone provide initial diffi culties.”
associated with submitting paper manifests The Cargo Processing System (CPS)
to SARS offices. It is advisable that all system reflects the new legislative framework for
development and testing should be done well cargo reporting, as set out in the Customs
in advance of this date to timeously identify Control Act, 2014, and significantly improves
and rectify any development errors and be cargo management and supply chain
ready 1 November,” he says. security. CPS, which includes both import
A leading authority in the field of supply and export reporting as well as transhipment
chain management, Juanita Maree, says reporting, introduces a number of new supply
the development falls under the Customs’ chain reports, including outturn reports,
Reporting of Conveyances and Goods (RCG) gate reports and pre-loading notices for
project, which is one of three main pillars containerised cargo.
14 July/August 2018 | Logistics News
