The system will eradicate the need for manifests and CN2 gate passes for exit and entrance control procedures at South African borders. This initiative forms part of the customs modernisation programme and is intended to ease compliance for traders and taxpayers and detect those who don’t comply. Sars said the system would “make non-compliance hard and costly”.

The system’s development helps South Africa align with the World Customs Organisation’s “SMART borders” concept, the tax collector said. The concept aims at streamlining and securing cross-border trade through the use of smart technologies, automation, and risk management. Sars said this would improve turnaround times for administration at border crossings, help to decrease opportunities for corruption, and limit the spread of Covid-19 by cutting down on paper use.

Sars’s electronic Road Freight Manifest facilitates the implementation of the NPR system. “The Number Plate Recognition system will be piloted in Beitbridge from 28 August 2021,” Sars said. “On conclusion of the pilot, it will be rolled out to the remaining land borders in phases.”