South Africa announces improved trade facilitation measures

[divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″][dropcap]F[/dropcap]ollowing queries and concerns from various industry stakeholders regarding information that all bonded goods must be imported into South Africa under sealed conditions (i.e. containerised), the South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) published a notice on 25 September 2020 (Notice), which clarifies the customs declaration process under section 64D of the Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964 (Act).

Section 64D of the Act regulates the removal of goods in bond and states, inter alia, that no person, except if exempted by rule, shall remove any goods in bond, or for export, or any other goods that may be specified by rule, unless licensed as a remover of goods in bond.

SARS, by way of the Notice, unequivocally states that recent amendments to section 64D of the Act does not, and will not, affect and/or influence the declaration process of cargo that is to be transported, nor will it affect and/or influence importations, exportation or transit cargo.

Accordingly, cargo can be either containerised, breakbulk or bulk cargo. Furthermore, SARS has advised clients to complete the mandatory fields on their declarations.

This approach appears to be in line with the World Customs Organisation’s (WCO) trade recovery recommendations. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the costs of exporting by at least 25% and accordingly, the WCO recommends that all countries apply improved facilitation measures for legitimate trade in order to maintain seamless flows of goods and allow companies to run their businesses to the greatest possible extent.

Prenisha Govender, Associate, Tax, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg

Also Read

South Africa remains a top hotspot for cargo theft

Construction begins for the new Ivory Coast Container Terminal

theafricalogistics

Recent Posts

Delta Flight Attendant Slide Deployment: Human Error and Costly Lessons

The recent Delta flight attendant slide deployment incident has drawn global attention, sparking conversations about…

10 minutes ago

Google Stock Surges as Investor Confidence Grows Following Tech Sector Rally

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), the parent company of Google, saw its shares surge on Friday,…

3 days ago

Is a 2.8% COLA Enough to Beat Inflation in 2026?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has confirmed a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026, impacting…

3 days ago

How Alaska Airlines’ Outage Exposed a Hidden Risk for African Airlines

Alaska Airlines was forced to cancel more than 360 flights after a major IT outage…

3 days ago

Inside Tesla’s Q3 Earnings Miss: Price Cuts, Profit Drops, and the Robotaxi Gamble

Tesla’s third-quarter 2025 results painted a challenging picture for the EV giant. Despite strong delivery…

4 days ago

Inside Meta’s AI Reshuffle: Why 600 Jobs Were Cut in the Race Toward Superintelligence

In a bold restructuring move, Meta Platforms Inc. has laid off around 600 employees from…

4 days ago