South Africa’s freight industry has taken a step towards presenting a more unified voice to government with the Road Freight Association (RFA) and the South African Freight and Logistics Association (SAFLA) signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
According to a joint statement issued by the two organisations, the MoU creates a framework for collaboration on customs modernisation, border digitalisation, trade facilitation and industry capacity building, with the shared objective of reducing costs and improving efficiency throughout the supply chain.
The agreement broadens the RFA’s advocacy footprint into the freight forwarding and logistics space while strengthening SAFLA’s engagement on issues that directly affect road freight operators.
One supply chain, one voice
Announcing the partnership, RFA chief executive Gavin Kelly said the agreement reflects the reality that road freight is inseparable from the wider logistics ecosystem.
“The road freight sector does not operate in isolation. Every delay at a port of entry, every manual Other Government Agency (OGA) process, every compliance bottleneck has a direct bearing on road freight transporters in the supply chain.
“By aligning formally with SAFLA, we extend our lobbying reach into the forwarding sector and give government a combined and unified signal on trade facilitation priorities rather than a series of fragmented requests and proposals from the industry.
“Multiple voices, speaking in concert, carry far greater weight than any one association speaking alone. This MoU allows the RFA to broaden its advocacy footprint in a meaningful and credible way,” Kelly said.
SAFLA executive officer Dave Logan said closer collaboration would enable both organisations to tackle long-standing operational and regulatory challenges more effectively.
“Collaboration is a necessity in the freight industry. Our members operate at the interface of customs, border management, regulatory compliance and international trade, and they face challenges that no single association can resolve alone.
“Joining forces with the RFA creates a platform where the combined weight of our memberships can drive real, tangible improvements. We are particularly encouraged by the momentum already building through SAFLA’s participation in the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Stakeholder Forums. This MoU deepens those engagements by bringing road freight perspectives into our discussions with the country’s revenue services.
“SAFLA is excited about this development and looks forward to working with the RFA,” Logan said.
Shared priorities
The agreement identifies several practical areas for joint action, including engagement with SARS, digitalisation of Other Government Agency (OGA) processes, Smart Border initiatives, customs modernisation, trade facilitation, process mapping and skills development.
The two organisations also intend establishing formal escalation mechanisms to address systemic issues affecting their respective memberships.
For road freight operators, the emphasis on customs reform and digitalisation is particularly significant. Delays caused by manual compliance processes at ports of entry and border posts continue to add unnecessary cost, increase vehicle standing time and reduce overall fleet productivity. Improving these systems should benefit freight forwarders, clearing agents and transport operators alike.
The memorandum, signed on 1 July 2026, will be reviewed annually by the chief executives of both organisations to ensure the partnership remains aligned with developments in South Africa’s customs and border management environment.
Editor’s comment: This partnership recognises an important truth: freight does not move in silos. By presenting government with a coordinated industry position instead of multiple competing voices, the RFA and SAFLA have an opportunity to influence reforms that could improve the movement of goods across Southern Africa.
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