18.03.27Electronic Cargo Report Mandatory from April 20 in South Africa

South African Revenue Service (SARS) is set to implement the first phase of the Reporting of Conveyances and Goods (RCG) project which falls under the New Customs Acts Program (NCAP).

Building on the foundations laid by SARS's current Manifest Processing (MPR) system, which was introduced in June 2016, RCG will provide for customs control of all vessels, aircraft, trains, vehicles, goods and persons entering or leaving South Africa.

The new Cargo Processing System (CPS) to be implemented under the RCG project reflects the new legislative framework in respect of cargo reporting, as set out in the Customs Control Act, 2014, and significantly improves cargo management and supply chain security. It has, in fact, been mandatory to submit electronic cargo reports to SARS since 2009, but this has not been strictly enforced in order to give industry the opportunity to develop the necessary capability to report electronically.