TURNAROUND TIMES AT BORDER DROP TO 24 MIN

MBABANE - The clearance of goods turnaround time at the Ngwenya/Oshoek border has declined from 1 hour and 24 minutes for exports and 34 minutes for imports, to a mere 10 minutes for each.

This was the results of the Time Release Study (TRS that was conducted at the Ngwenya/Oshoek border to determine the time taken to clear goods passing between Eswatini and South Africa. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter stated that over the four days of the detailed study, a sample size of 323 declarations per day for exports and 51 declarations per day for imports was utilised, tracked against specific and detailed process flow maps, and the results analysed in detail.  He shared that because trucks were not currently processed as single units at Oshoek, drivers must park outside the control area, cue for immigration formalities together with pedestrians and bus or taxi passengers, and thereafter, retrieve their trucks.

He said for exports to Eswatini from SA, the waiting time for drivers in the immigration queue was 23 minutes, and for imports, it was 7 minutes. He said pre-clearance was an important aspect of port efficiency and operators were advised to obtain pre-clearance well ahead of reaching the port. He said this was crucial for facilitating trade and ensuring the smooth flow of goods across borders. The commissioner stated that shipments would otherwise face an increased risk of delays and disruptions, resulting in significant delays and financial losses.
He added that providing data electronically to regulators prior to the arrival of goods also expedites compliance verifications by Customs and Other Government Agencies (OGAs) who then use their time and resources to manage other security threats and compliance risks.

Kieswetter said while Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) linked transactions only constituted 2 per cent of the total transactions over the period, their value of E13 million for imports and E21 million for exports was significant. He said yet the TRS data showed that one in four, or 25 per cent of the customs declarations submitted by traders to Customs are still not being pre-cleared. “Furthermore, 25 per cent of Bills of Entry and Manifests are only submitted within an hour before the truck is marked for arrival at the border post,” he said.
He added that the importer, exporter or clearing agent averages, then adds, on average, 42 minutes to complete the capturing, submission, and processing of both the Customs Bill of Entry and the electronic Road Freight Manifest (eRFM).

Delay

Kieswetter mentioned that SARS process actually processes the submissions literally within seconds to clear the goods. He said they recognised that due to network and connectivity delays at the Oshoek Border Post, there may be up to a 5-minute delay before clearing agents receive their release messages and are working to address this. Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) Commissioner General, Brightwell Nkambule said the Oshoek–Ngwenya Border Post was selected as the focus of this study because of its strategic value to the economies of the two countries.  

He said for Eswatini, Ngwenya processes the highest number of travellers and accounts for the highest trade volumes.  He said the TRS shall therefore provide them with actionable insights to enhance clearance process efficiencies and deliver substantial benefits to the clients we serve, which they believe would have a positive impact on the economic performance of the two countries.

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