Our Road Border offices at Beit Bridge (BBR), Groblersbrug (GRB) and Kopfontien (KFN) continue to remain operational albeit with skeleton staff and with a strong focus on Hygiene Protocols.
This morning there was a 12km backlog at BBR with mainly trucks parked the full width of the N1, our staff were physically not able to reach our office until midday.
Status Quo:
As with all ports and airports, there is massive conflict in the interpretation and application of the directives issued in the various Government Gazettes. Because our clearing staff work remotely, we are able to process electronically any clearance whether for Essential or Non-Essential goods, but the control is going to be at the hard border, and its two-tiered. There are Customs Officials on the one hand and SANDF members on the other. The general consensus is that these officials are making decisions on the fly and are stopping and returning any vehicle that they do not deem to be carrying Essential Goods. (Refer Annexure B page 10 of Gazette # 43148)
We therefore cannot assure you that Clearance by us will guarantee your truck a smooth journey through the border. We expect that any non-essential cargo requiring a SADC certificate or Customs Supervision will absolutely be unsuccessful. We urge you to abide by the regulations set out by the Minister of Transport to prevent any delays and enforce compliance.
We thank you for your continued support
Ziegler South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Sean Moore
CEO