Moroke Sekoboto
REVENUE Services Lesotho (RSL) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have launched a joint End-to-End Time Release Study (TRS) to streamline border processes and enhance trade facilitation between the two countries.
The comprehensive bi-national study will conduct an in-depth diagnosis of border procedures by tracking the full journey of goods and travellers from arrival at one side of the border to release on the other.
The objective is to identify bottlenecks in cross-border trade processes, with the goal of improving operational efficiency, reducing delays, and enhancing the overall quality of trade services at the Maseru and Ficksburg border posts.
RSL Commissioner Client Service and Head of Customs, Rakokoana Makoa, emphasized that the TRS, supported by the World Customs Organisation (WCO), is a pivotal step in modernizing border management systems and facilitating smoother cross-border trade.
The data gathered will enable RSL and SARS to streamline operations, harmonize procedures, and eliminate unnecessary delays – ultimately paving the way for the successful implementation of the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) model at the two border crossings.
Mr Makoa said that the study’s findings “will be instrumental in guiding joint efforts to improve coordination between Lesotho and South Africa’s customs agencies, other border authorities, and the private sector”.
“This will help to reduce transaction costs, increase transparency, and enhance trade flows between the two countries, which are vital economic partners,” he said.
Beyers Theron, the SARS Head of Customs Border Operations, Port of Entry and Customs and Excise Compliance, said the Time Release Study (TRS) “is a strategic and internationally recognized tool to measure the actual time required to clear goods and complete cross-border formalities”.
“The TRS tracks the process from the time of a shipment’s first arrival until its final release from the border. This helps identify bottlenecks in processes and trade flows, allowing for necessary remedial measures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cross-border processing” Mr Theron said.
Mr Theron emphasized that the TRS was vital not only for identifying the root causes of border delays, but also to aid the transition towards automated, technology-driven borders.
Additionally, the TRS provides measurable, data-driven precursors for improving entire trade corridors.
“TRS also gives practical effect to the commitments made by Commissioner Generals of SACU Tax and Customs Administrations to drive the trade facilitation agenda amongst SACU Member States,” Mr Theron said.
Mr Theron also discussed Coordinated Border Management (CBM), which aims to mobilize pre-arrival electronic data, resources, functions, processes, agreements, and legislation around a shared vision of effective and efficient border processing.
This coordination across regulatory agencies ensures their respective functions are carried out in a cohesive manner, benefiting trade and the broader economy, he said.
According to Mr Theron, the TRS and its facilitation benefits create measurable value for economic operators, which is necessary for the sustainability and growth of regional trade corridors. The TRS, he said, helps identify, limit, and alleviate the effects of procedural bureaucracy, inefficiencies, and costs on legitimate trade, supporting the regional economic benefits envisaged by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Lesotho’s Deputy Principal Secretary of Trade, Industry and Business Development, Ts’ireletso Mojela, emphasized that as a landlocked country, efficient cross-border trade “is a high priority for Lesotho”.
Ms Mojela said that Lesotho’s geographical reality makes trade facilitation not just a matter of policy, but “a fundamental pillar of economic growth and regional integration”.
Since the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement entered into force in 2017, Lesotho has taken significant steps to reform its trade environment, including reducing the time, cost, and complexity associated with cross-border trade.
These reforms have focused on enhancing efficiencies in importing and exporting by streamlining border processes, thereby reducing time and costs.
Lesotho has previously conducted two national Time Release Studies, the most recent being in 2018, which focused on improving processes on the Lesotho side only.
These studies have provided valuable information that has been instrumental in determining areas where reforms to increase border efficiencies are necessary.
Ms Mojela said that the current initiative to deepen cross-border cooperation between Lesotho and its neighbour “is a groundbreaking step, building upon the progress already made in trade facilitation reforms”, particularly the development of the One Stop Border Post launched last year at Maseru Bridge.
