The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) has highlighted its cross-sectoral initiative to bring together stakeholders in the freight and logistics sectors to address the issues hampering the development of these sectors and, thus, also of the wider national economy. Apart from SAAFF itself, the initiative embraces the South African Revenue Service (Sars), the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac), the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, the Border Management Authority, other government and regulatory authorities, as well as freight forwarders and clearance agents.

“There is something powerful about coming together with shared purpose,” affirmed SAAFF executive for Sars and other government agencies Devlyn Naidoo. “It helps dissolve procedural friction points in the supply chain and is crucial to enabling the recovery of the logistics network after years of disruption. Important findings and diverse potential solutions from the point of view of both the authorities and members of SAAFF in the trade were put forward for consultation, extensively discussed and analysed from both sides of the coin.”

SAAFF felt that the global political and economic turbulence made the effort imperative right now. The objective is to overcome the decades of self-imposed inefficiencies in the country’s logistics system, and with the help of modern technologies, notably AI, create a seamless legitimate environment that will cut costs and ensure the more rapid and reliable movement of freight. This result will strengthen the country’s global competitiveness and grow the economy.

“The insights exchanged during these sessions are invaluable,” highlighted Itac manager Donovan Mitchell. “In over 15 years of working with many of these freight logistics entities, this is the first time we have gathered in a space free from the pressures of transactions. Misunderstandings have been clarified, myths debunked, and a fresh path mapped forward.”

SAAFF reported that the outcomes of the discussions had “exceeded expectations”. Further, the workshops held, as part of the initiative, were “hailed by the industry as a breakthrough” regarding stakeholder engagement, as well as a major advance towards achieving operational alignment.

“Just like an orchestra, where every instrument contributes to the final harmony, logistics depends on the perfect synchronisation of each entity – between ten and 17 processes apply in every movement of cargo,” explained the SAAFF. “When everyone plays their part, the outcome is excellence in motion.”