Some ferreting through the archives of certain ‘aged’ customs officials resulted in success. I was able to obtain a colour rendition of the pre-SA Revenue Service customs coat of arms. Portcullis is prominently featured in the heraldry with the latin inscription – ‘Colligimus et Custodimus’. Not much has changed since then. The modern era customs division’s focus remains ‘collect and protect’, with a major emphasis on ‘collect’.

Since the amalgamation of the former Departments of Customs and Excise and the Receiver of Revenue, in 1997, revenue collection has been the primary focus of the South African Revenue Service. Customs revenue receipts from duties and taxes on imports and customs union cross border movemnts remains significantly relevant to warrant such an approach. Various trade liberalisation initiatives have seen revenue receipts under strain in recent times, and the emergence of the scourge of illicit trade – counterfeit tobacco, textile and electronic goods and narcotics now posing a greater threat the local economy.

After years of modernisation initiatives in SARS – the Customs division will soon revitalise its position and reinforce its frontline capabilities with a series of significant advances; many of these technology-driven, reinforced by a formadible and completely new legal framework, and some vigorous management support. As the portcullis is now but a distant memory of the former ‘gate-keeper’ role of Customs and Excise, the new dispensation – under the banner of modernisation – undertakes the challenge of outsmarting the modern-day sea pirates and highway men across its frontiers with an invisible tool – the multi-layered risk management approach.