The South African Freight and Logistics Association (SAFLA) is a professional, member-driven industry body established to protect, strengthen, and advance the freight forwarding sector in South Africa.

We are an association of members, for members — built from the ground up by experienced industry professionals who recognised that the sector needed a credible, operational, and regionally grounded voice.

Built Because the Sector Needed It

Freight forwarding is the engine room of South Africa’s economy. Customs brokers and freight forwarders coordinate the movement of goods across our borders every day — yet the sector has faced increasing pressure, regulatory complexity, and the sustained erosion of structured industry-government dialogue.

Following the breakdown of regular engagement with key regulators at regional level — including the loss of routine meetings with SARS — a group of experienced industry professionals came together to form SAFLA. Not to add another voice to the room, but to restore what the sector had been missing: practical representation, close to the coalface, driven by the people who understand operational realities firsthand.

SAFLA launched in March 2026. Our immediate priorities include restoring structured, regular engagement with SARS, Transnet, the Border Management Authority, and all 17 government agencies and controlling authorities that intersect with freight forwarding and customs compliance in South Africa.

What SAFLA Is Here to Do

SAFLA exists to represent and elevate the freight forwarding sector — by promoting its value, addressing its challenges, and enabling constructive collaboration across the broader logistics ecosystem.

At the heart of everything we do is a recognition that the freight forwarder is a critical coordinator of cross-border trade. We work to protect that role, preserve that value, and ensure the sector has the representation it deserves.

Our purpose, as set out in our constitution, includes:

• Promoting the legitimate interests of members and the industry
• Engaging government, regulators and policy forums on matters that affect the sector
• Advocating for ethical and compliant business practices
• Providing accredited training, professional development, and learnership pathways
• Giving the sector a clear, informed, and respected voice in South Africa

Grounded in Operations. Driven by Data.

SAFLA does not offer broad policy positioning from a distance. We focus on measurable outcomes at the coalface of trade — border delays, permit duplication, valuation disputes — and we engage with data, not noise.

We maintain formal representation at key border posts and ports, including Durban, Cape Town, Beitbridge, Lebombo and Ngqura, ensuring that corridor-specific challenges receive dedicated, informed attention.

We use shipment data, delay records, and cost analysis to inform every regulatory submission and stakeholder engagement.

“Every morning I ask myself: what value are we adding to members today? That question will drive everything we do at SAFLA. We are here to do what members ask us to do, and to add real, tangible value.” — Dave Logan, Executive Officer