The following information was found on the SARS website.

Reporting of Conveyances and Goods (RCG)

South African Revenue Services (SARS) have implemented the first phase of the Reporting of
Conveyances and Goods (RCG) project.  The rules to section 8 of the Customs & Excise Act No.
91 of 1964 have been amended to form the legislative basis for the implementation of RCG.
This will be effective with cargo departing on or after 20 April 2018.

This first phase provides for Customs control of all vessels, aircraft, trains, vehicles and good
entering or leaving South Africa.

What is it?
Building on the foundations laid by SARS’s Manifest Processing (MPR) system, RCG is the first
component to be delivered under NCAP (New Customs Acts Programme).   MPR enabled shipping
lines and airlines to report both pre-arrival and post-arrival manifest information to SARS
electronically, thus reducing their reporting cost of compliance considerably. MPR was also able to
match cargo reports  to their corresponding customs clearances to identify instances of reporting
non-compliance.

The new Cargo Processing System (CPS) 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. CPS, which includes
both import and export  reporting as well as transshipment reporting, introduces a number of
new supply chain reports, including outturn reports, gate reports and pre-loading notices for
containerised cargo.

Who is impacted and what steps must I take?
Under RCG, it is mandatory for all cargo reporters in the air, sea and road industries to submit
reports to  SARS electronically. Customs clients impacted by RCG include carriers, customs
brokers, Port/Airport authorities, terminals, depots and registered agents. Click here for more
information on who should submit cargo reports.

Clients who have never submitted electronic reports must find out more about the legislative
and system requirements relating to electronic reporting in order to become fully compliant
before RCG is implemented.  If you have any questions about RCG, feel free to mail them to
NewCustomsActs@sars.gov.za.

South African Customs requires the following for all shipments to/from/via South African by
ocean, air or land:

• The full name and physical address of the Shipper.  This information must be provided for
the Shipper.  In case of co-loads, this should be the information of the co-loader’s agent at
destination.  In case of direct shipments, this should   be the actual importer’s information.
• A precise description of the goods is required or the first 6 digits of the HS Code number
• The container and seal number are required.  FCL:  It is extremely important that your
FCL shipping instructions are submitted timely
• The gross mass of the goods in the consignment (including packaging)
• The unit of measure (for example 510 oz)
• The number of packages in the consignment
• The type of packages
• The relevant dangerous goods number as may be application to the goods, if a consignment
contains hazardous goods