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With the midpoint of the year merely days away (at the time of writing), you might find yourself reflecting on the year so far (glass half empty) or imaging what still lies ahead (glass half full).... 

Fee trade – the sequel

To fully appreciate this column, grab your calendar and calculator or prepare to do some mental maths. Start with May 16 and June 21 of 2024. How many days passed between the two dates? On both... 

Brace! Brace! Brace!

Is the third time the charm? The idiom, without the ‘is’ and the question mark, expresses the hope that a third attempt at something will succeed after two failed attempts. If you do not like the... 

I-T-A-C

Want to play a word game? How many five-letter words can you make with the letters I, T, A and C in any position? If you are up for the challenge, it might well help to improve your Wordle® skills.... 

A scrap of evidence

You might be reading this article after the May 23 deadline for comments on the ‘Price Preference System (PPS) Discount on Ferrous Scrap’. But this does not mean you should stop reading. Instead,... 

In-bred tariff

AI Overview is a feature in Google Search that uses generative AI “to provide concise overviews of topics based on information from various sources”. It says of the headline of this piece: “It is... 

Customs in a clean age

If you are involved in the renewable energy value chain – specifically the solar PV value chain, wind energy value chain, and battery energy storage system (BESS) value chain – then your... 

Apophenia

There is a belief that things – especially bad things – happen in threes, which both my grandmothers swore by. However, sceptics see this as mere superstition rooted in cognitive bias, where we... 

Rope-a-dope

I am standing at the top of the ‘Rocky Steps’, from the iconic scene in the 1976 Rocky movie, where Rocky Balboa runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was a 72-step climb,... 

Iko Iko

“My bestie and your bestie sit down by the fire; Your bestie says: So, can we make these flames go higher?” If you're unaware, these lyrics come from Justin Wellington’s 2020 hit, Iko Iko. I’ve... 

Metal review

If you are involved in the manufacture and import of iron and steel, or articles made of these materials, as well as articles made of base metal, then you may want to consider responding to an... 

Flightless job retention

Listen very carefully; I shall say this only once: “Bolstering employment through job retention!” What do you make of such a slogan? You might find it uninspiring, point out its contradictions or... 

It’s nuts!

The headline of this piece is a colloquial expression meaning something is crazy, foolish or strange, or that someone is acting irrationally or eccentrically. Speaking of nuts, have you ever... 

Origin agreement celebrated

The World Customs Organisation (WCO) recently held the forty-third meeting of its Technical Committee on Rules of Origin (TCRO) in Brussels, Belgium, under the banner of ‘Three Decades of... 

AGRT or AGTR?

No way out

Where would it be more appropriate to write about tariffs than in the Roof Terrace and Lounge at 38°53′49.1″N, 77°1′59.8″W – Hotel Washington. It is only a stone’s throw away from 38.8977″N,... 

Raising a glass

A glass or a glass tariff? Now, what type of glass and, for that matter, is it actually a tariff? It might well be a bit premature for you to provide an answer. As for glass manufacturing, can... 

Shaping customs future

Do you still have space on your New Year’s resolution list or want to make a change? Or does the list already need an overhaul? If a change or refocusing is required, and if you are a customs and... 

Flight or fright?

What do you do when your local produce cannot compete in your domestic market? And, before answering, what should your priority be? You pursue an export-driven strategy as your focus. Want to guess... 

Nailing it?

Abraham Maslow, of ‘hierarchy of needs’ fame, in his 1966 book, The Psychology of Science, referenced an earlier quote from Abraham Kaplan, the first philosopher to systematically examine the... 

Termination or extermination?

At times like these, I am reminded of the sagacious words of my grandfather: “If you are not confused, then you do not have all the fact.” Irene Peter offers a slightly different reflection: “If... 

Metal fatigue

“I can’t believe the news today (January 06); oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away. How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?”  – to borrow the opening lyrics of Irish... 

Year of the safeguard

Why? Yes, let’s start the year with a ‘why’. Why did the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) announce the initiation of its safeguard investigation in the... 

WTO DG reappointed

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Council on November 29 announced, by consensus, the early reappointment of its director-general, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to a second four-year term, which begins... 

The best things in life . . .

It appeared almost unnoticed in a flurry of ‘Latest News’ notifications on the National Treasury’s website on November 13. Can you guess what it is? Well, in the order of publication, the items... 

Trusted Tour Operator Scheme

“I’m happy to say that today is the day. I’m super-excited. I’m shouting, 'Hooray!’" A special acknowledgement for this to renowned poet Kenn Nesbitt from https://poetry4kids.com/poems. Of course,... 

A century of Cf

The abbreviation Cf stands for the Latin words confer and conferatur, meaning 'compare'. By definition, conferatur instructs the reader to compare one thing with another. But, of course, I wouldn’t... 

Tough going

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” as Billy Ocean reminds us in his 1986 hit. But, as we listen to those words, one can’t help but wonder: Tough for whom? Is it for you, for me, for... 

HS modernisation step

The World Customs Organisation (WCO) on October 29 announced the release of its 95-page ‘Final Report of the Exploratory Study on the Possible Strategic Review of the Harmonised System (HS)’. The... 

Consultant-free trade

Do you import goods into the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu)? Do you manufacture goods in the Sacu region? Additionally, do you import components into this region which you use in the... 

CO2, GH2, GHG, H2, LH2, NH3

Do these acronyms – chemical symbols, to be precise – mean anything to you? I apologise for unearthing any long-buried horrors from your school science days. While you ponder your mark out of a... 

Registration, licensing and accreditation

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) announced on October 7 that it had added new online self-service features for Registration, Licensing and Accreditation (RLA) under the Sars Online Query... 

Women exporters’ fund

On September 11, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) announced the commencement of the implementation of a fund for women exporters by welcoming its first... 

TRIMs, TRIPs and now TrPMs

If you are a World Trade Organisation (WTO  groupie, you would undoubtedly be familiar with TRIMs and TRIPS. If the acronyms are alien, or you require a quick refresher, TRIMs stands for Agreement... 

Customs offences and more

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) announced on August 22 that its Contravention List published on August 13 had been withdrawn and that, as a result, the previous list remains in effect.... 

Technical tariff amendments

What is a technical tariff amendment? On August 22, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) announced that its Tariff Amendments Landing Page had been updated to expand the note section below the... 

Export-oriented déjà vu plan

It is said that there is ‘old news’, ‘yesterday’s news’, and ‘new news’. But why can there not be ‘no news’ as well? By ‘no news’ I mean information that simply is not, could not, and should not... 

Australia’s nuisance tariffs

I vividly recall a time when the radio held proud place – front and centre – on the dining room table. It was also a time when radio pledges were the order of the day. Pledgers were given the... 

e-Imports tax free no more

"All good things must come to an end, but all bad things can continue forever." This is according to the 'King of Horror', American author Stephen King. Whether 'a good thing' has indeed come to an... 

Out, damned spot

Macbeth: Act 2, Scene 2: Lady Macbeth comes to share Macbeth’s horrified sense of being stained, exclaiming: “Out, damned spot; out, I say...” The word ‘spot’ derives from the Middle Dutch word...