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FRIDAY 18 September 2009 NO. 1880
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The Freight Community’s Weekly Newspaper for Import / Export decision makers – on subscription
Sars strike knocks border clearances EDI keeps airfreight fluid By Alan Peat Despite the protestations by SA Revenue Service (Sars) that its customs’ complement remained about 80% staffed during last week’s strike, two of SA’s main cross-border trade arteries came close to closure, according to border post users. The Beitbridge border post between SA and Zimbabwe and
the Lebombo post between SA and Mozambique were noticeably affected, and strike organisers seemed to have targeted these two to highlight their workers’ complaints. By Wednesday last week, although Sars was confident about staff attendance, saying it had all sorts of contingency plans in place to meet industrial action, FTW was already getting
incoming calls of complaint from landside border post users. A first was from an anonymous but emotionally distraught cross-border truck owner. Two of his trucks, he told FTW, had been jammed in a queue of commercial vehicles at Lebombo for 24 hours. His drivers were stuck and having big problems getting food, and didn’t know when they were going to
get clear. “One of my drivers was talking to a couple of strikers,” the trucker said, “and were told that they (the strikers) didn’t know when they were going back to work, but a few of them were going back to the township for a long weekend, and didn’t intend to come back to work till next Monday.” However, although there
were continuing complaints of slow going at the post right up to this Monday, the strike there didn’t seem to get the same concentration of strike effort as Beitbridge. On Wednesday last week Brian Kalshoven, MD of Beitbridge Border Clearing Agency, told FTW that processing documentation was To page 12
Ngqura could relieve pressure on Luanda By Joy Orlek The Port of Ngqura could potentially play a key transhipment role on the continent, Transnet Port Terminals general manager sales, logistics and commercial said at a business-to-business briefing in Johannesburg last week. “Ngqura can be used to alleviate pressure on ports like
Luanda,” she said, where 86 vessels were waiting to berth during a recent TPT visit. “We’re also looking at Ngqura acting as a feeder for ports in Kenya.” Ngqura is on track to receive its first vessel in October, Damasane said. “Once it’s been officially launched, we believe that most shipping lines will consider the option.”
Nosipho Damasane … ‘Studies have shown that it can work.’
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