SARS’s stern message to South Africa
South Africa’s state of lawlessness and criminal activity should be a concern for every person in the country, says Edward Kieswetter, the commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
His comments come after more than 20 trucks carrying goods along key supply chain avenues have been burnt, resulting in significant delays for business and posing a serious threat to the already strained economy.
Speaking to ENCA, the commissioner condemned those who have committed such acts, stating that they are ultimately harming themselves and ordinary South Africans.
“Those who believe that it is okay to interrupt these trades, goods, and services are ultimately harming themselves because these goods do not reach the ports of exit, of exports, meaning that many of those goods will go to waste – reducing the foreign currency that is supposed to return to South Africa,” Kieswetter said.
“It means our balance of trade or balance of payments is negatively affected, and ultimately it hurts our economy that then translates to an impact on the ordinary man and women on the streets,” he added.
“We are part of a system and are all interconnected; if we break any part of the system, ultimately, we pay the price.”
Over the past few days, twenty-one trucks have been set alight in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. Police minister Bheki Cele said evidence points towards coordinated and organised operations aiming to ‘sabotage the state’.
Gavin Kelly, the CEO of the Road Freight Agency, has warned that the nationwide attacks pose a significant risk to the economy, with roughly 80% of all goods transported in and around South Africa being on trucks.
Kelly estimated that if around 7,000 vehicles are impacted daily, the sector could suffer losses of up to R35 million, with potential long-term consequences amounting to billions and further eroding international business confidence.
As reported by DailyInvestor, KDG Logistic’s Abdool Kamdar added: “If we provide secure supply chains and provide secure roads for goods to migrate in and out of our country, we slowly kill our country.”
“What we are seeing here is symptoms of cancer that will eventually kill our economy, and we can’t let this continue.”
The Democratic Alliance has used similar language to describe the events, stating that in terms of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act, the systematic use of violence or damage to property that causes significant economic loss is ‘terrorist activity.’
“This isn’t mere damage; it’s economic sabotage designed to send shockwaves through an economy already reeling from multiple crises,” the political party said.
Cele has, however, not linked the recent attacks to the July 2021 riot anniversary, stressing that they are separate.
Read: Rand surges in South Africa – but it’s not plain sailing.
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