PSA claims SARS strike having disastrous impact on border operations

The unions downed tools at the tax authority, demanding salaries to be adjusted based on the October 2021 CPI plus 7% across the board, backdated to April this year.

This while the taxman isn’t budging from its offer of a 1.39% increment.

While SARS has described the impact of the industrial action as minimal, the PSA claims it has been led to a disaster at the country’s various border gates.

PSA spokesperson Rueben Maleka says border posts are either closed or severely affected.

"The country is experiencing traffic disasters at border gates, where trucks have been in queueing for days. Most border posts are operating with limited staff, creating long delays. 

"The Beitbridge, Lebombo, Kopfontein, Groblersbridge, Maseru, and Ficksburg border posts were either completely closed or operations are severely affected. Despite the outcry from the logistics sector, which is heavily impacted by the strike, SARS maintains that the impact is minimal."

READ: SARS says 'no work, no pay' for striking employees

"The so-called support from other government agencies has not proved useful owing to a lack of technical competence or their own chronic staff shortages, brought about by governments obsession with austerity measures. 

"The PSA has noted that some managers stepped in to assist with processing trucks whilst they lack necessary competence and understanding of the system, resulting in trucks being released without due diligence. 

"South Africa is losing revenue that needs to be collected owing to imports and exports as this is not picked up owing to managers not confirming the content and value of cargo.”