Active complaints

Showing items 81 to 88 of 88
Complaint number NTB Type
Category 1. Government participation in trade & restrictive practices tolerated by governments
Category 2. Customs and administrative entry procedures
Category 5. Specific limitations
Category 6. Charges on imports
Category 7. Other procedural problems
Category 8. Transport, Clearing and Forwarding
Check allUncheck all		 Date of incident Location
COMESA
EAC
SADC
Reporting country or region (additional)
COMESA
EAC
SADC
Status
 Actions
NTB-001-357 2.6. Additional taxes and other charges 2026-03-30 Zambia: Botswana New View
Complaint: Business Botswana member, Flo-Tek is currently facing trade barrier in Zambia, Flo-Tek raised concerns regarding the imposition of a mandatory entry permit fee of approximately USD 541 per truck shipment for Botswana-registered trucks transporting PVC and HDPE pipes. According to the company, the fee applies regardless of the size or value of the shipment and significantly increases the cost of exporting to the Zambian market, particularly for smaller and more frequent consignments. In addition, Zambia imposes a 20% Selected Goods Surtax (SGS) on PVC pipes, HDPE pipes, and fittings. While the surtax is reportedly intended to protect local manufacturers, Flo-Tek argues that Zambia does not manufacture the large-diameter pipes supplied by the company, meaning there is no local industry being protected in this particular market segment. The company therefore views the surtax as an unnecessary trade barrier that inflates infrastructure project costs and weakens the competitiveness of Botswana manufacturers in the regional market.

The NTB's undermine Botswana’s export competitiveness, increase the cost of cross-border trade, and contradict the broader objectives of SADC regional integration and trade facilitation. The company therefore request resolution through bilateral and regional trade mechanisms. 		 
NTB-001-358 8.8. Issues related to transit 2026-02-02 South Africa: Botswana New View
Complaint: Business Botswana member -Flo-Tek has highlighted challenges relating to road transit bonds and cabotage restrictions. The company noted that South African authorities shifted responsibility for road transit bonds from transporters to the importer or owner of the goods. As a result, Flo-Tek is now directly responsible for administering and carrying the liability associated with transit bonds for shipments passing through South Africa. The company argues that this arrangement places an unfair financial and administrative burden on exporters, despite the transporter being in physical control of the cargo during transit. Flo-Tek also raised concerns about South Africa’s cabotage regulations, which prevent Botswana-registered trucks from completing deliveries in situations where the South African entity is the invoice holder or where goods are destined for onward export to neighbouring countries such as Lesotho. Consequently, cargo must be transferred to South African trucks before final delivery, resulting in additional transport arrangements, delays, cargo handling risks, and increased logistics costs. Flo-Tek believes these restrictions are largely protectionist in nature and hinder regional trade integration.

Flo-Tek maintains that the NTBs imposed by these South Africa undermine Botswana’s export competitiveness, increase the cost of cross-border trade, and contradict the broader objectives of SADC regional integration and trade facilitation. 		 
NTB-001-359 5.5. Import licensing requirements 2026-02-17 Zimbabwe: Botswana New View
Complaint: Business Botswana member - Flotek has reported that In Zimbabwe, imports exceeding USD 5,000 require an import licence issued through the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA). These licences are generally valid for only three months and must be secured before goods can enter the market. The company indicated that most of its consignments exceed the threshold, meaning nearly all exports to Zimbabwe are affected by the licensing requirement. Delays in obtaining or renewing licences can disrupt deliveries, delay customer projects, and create financial losses. In addition, Zimbabwe requires mandatory Bureau Veritas (BV) pre-shipment inspections for trucks entering the country, with inspection fees charged on a per-invoice basis rather than per shipment. Flo-Tek stated that the fees range between USD 250 and USD 300 per invoice, resulting in significant cumulative costs for shipments containing multiple invoices. According to the company, this creates unnecessary inefficiencies and increases the cost of exporting into Zimbabwe.

Flo-Tek maintains that the NTBs imposed by these countries undermine Botswana’s export competitiveness, increase the cost of cross-border trade, and contradict the broader objectives of SADC regional integration and trade facilitation. The company therefore requested that relevant mechanisms be triggered to resolve this NTB. 		 
NTB-001-309 7.4. Costly procedures 2025-12-13 In process View
Complaint: KEBS rejected the application to renew the Illovo's Diamond Mark certification which expired on 13Dec2025. The new requirement states that Illovo should appoint a Kenyan registered agent or open up a branch in Kenya. This agent will be awarded a Diamond Mark certificate on behalf of Illovo. This is costly and it also restricts product quality visibility through to the end-user.  
Progress: On 29 March 2026, Kenya Focal Point reported that:
a) All importers that have the Diamond Mark are required to have an Agent. Under our Diamond Mark scheme, the permit is issued to a local registered entity. The entity assume all responsibilities of the product. This is applied across all manufacturers under the Diamond Mark Scheme.
b) An imported/ Exporter can still ring the product in to the country without the agent under the normal import process procedure either through the PVOC Scheme or Destination Inspection. This will allow the visibility that client is seeking.
c) Illovo can still export the sugar to Kenya without an agent outside the Diamond Mark. Hence there is no NTB and the matter should be considered as resolved
2.Kenya advised that there is another option to faciloitate resolution of the NTB is where the importer can register his products and comply with the requirements. Once registered using the portal at KEBS they will be accepted without inspection. 		 
Products: 1701.99: Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form (excl. cane and beet sugar containing added flavouring or colouring and raw sugar)  
NTB-001-311 5.3. Export taxes 2026-03-02 Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kasumbalesa In process View
Complaint: It is reported by the Truckers Association of Zambia that the DRC Revenue Authority - General Directorate of Taxes, 3 weeks ago, introduced an import and export tax of about $85, and this has been reported at Kasumbalesa Border Post. The procedure and rationale in which this was introduced is unknown to Zambia, therefore, feedback is sought from our colleagues in DRC on this matter.  
NTB-001-333 2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin 2026-02-01 Zambia: Chirundu In process View
Complaint: ZIMRA is not clearing the products originated in Zambia using the STR Declaration even the products are under the Common List. The goods are subjected to the submission of Formal Customs Declaration and subject to pay customs duties, instead of granting preferential tariff treatment under the COMESA FTA.  
Products: 2009.12: Orange juice, unfermented, Brix value <= 20 at 20°C, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter (excl. containing spirit and frozen)  
NTB-001-342 3. Technical barriers to trade (TBT)
B42: TBT regulations on transport and storage 		2023-01-01 Zimbabwe: Kariba In process View
Complaint: Administrative arbitrary ban of buses using Kariba border by ZIMRA AND ZAMBIA REVENUE AUTHORITY previously buses were Administratively suspended to use Kariba border siting strength of the the bridge now it has come with another angle prior to the suspension Kariba border was doing well in terms of facilitating trade for small scale cross border traders  
NTB-001-356 1.14. Lack of coordination between government institutions 2026-04-15 Zimbabwe: Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport COMESA New View
Complaint: Zimbabwe's on line COMESA system has been down since September last year. This has resulted in exporters facing some challenges in producing online COMESA certificates. We did a shipment to Tunisia and had to fill in a new COMESA certificate on a PDF format printed from the computer. This resulted in Tunisian customs rejecting this document claiming that it doesn't have a serial number, therefore its not authentic, even though it was stamped and signed by ZIM customs (ZIMRA). We notified our authorities of the ordeal, and they confirmed that the system was still being rectified. To bail out the situation ZIMRA confirmed that it would contact the Tunisian customs and clarify the prevailing issue currently in Zimbabwe with regards to the on line COMESA certificates. Our market in Tunisia is still facing some clearance problems cause of this incident. We understand that Tunisian customs, wants to resend back the shipment to Zimbabwe at our cost as the shipper. We hereby seek your intervention with regards to this matter. We are dealing with Horticultural fresh and dried produce. Tunisia has proved to be a reliable market, considering the COMESA trade agreements and both countries being member states. We look forward to your earliest response towards in solving our issue. Currently our client is exposed to USD500.00 storage fees per day.  
Products: 0802.90: Nuts, fresh or dried, whether or not shelled or peeled (excl. coconuts, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, filberts, walnuts, chestnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, kola nuts and areca nuts)  
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