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.

Our Immediate Priorities

Since launching in March 2026, SAFLA has been focused on:

1. Restoring structured engagement with SARS at both national and regional level
2. Establishing functional Regional Executive Committees across all five regions
3. Engaging Transnet, the Border Management Authority, and port authorities on corridor-level performance
4. Building the association’s member base across freight forwarders, customs brokers, harbour carriers, and logistics service providers
5. Developing accredited training pathways in partnership with FIATA, SARS, and relevant SETAs including TETA

Within our first year, SAFLA aims to demonstrate at least two measurable regulatory improvements and publish data-backed position papers that move the conversation forward.

South Africa’s logistics costs as a percentage of GDP remain high — estimated at between 11 and 13%. The Port of Durban, the country’s most critical trade gateway, ranked last in the World Bank’s 2024 Container Port Performance Index, placing 403rd out of 403 ports globally.

Non-tariff barriers, permit duplication, inconsistent regulatory interpretation, and limited digital integration continue to slow cross-border trade in the SADC region — adding cost, uncertainty, and delay to supply chains that importers and exporters depend on.

These are not abstract policy problems. They are daily operational realities for SAFLA’s members.

The sector needs a body that tracks these issues with data, engages stakeholders constructively, and holds the line on behalf of the freight forwarders who keep South Africa’s trade flowing.

That is what SAFLA is here to do.