Join a panel of tax experts and financial advisors to find out how to maximise your investments through the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) fiscal and financial incentives and benefits of operating in a Customs Control Area Enterprise (CCAE) at the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone.
PRESENTATIONS:
SEZ -Saldanha presentation-Andrew Wes
Customs Licensing-Accreditation-SMME’s- Saldhana Bay
EODB Tax Webinar – Benedicta & Shanon
SEZ VAT and C&E Overview – Ashwin
SARS NOTES:
PANELLIST BIOS:
Chief Executive Officer, Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone (SBIDZ)
Kaashifah Beukes is the Chief Executive Officer of Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone and has been with the entity since its inception in 2014. She is responsible and accountable to the Board of Directors for the management of the SBIDZ and delivery of its mandate and operational strategy.
Ms Beukes has almost a decade of experience in design, construction, and project management of civil engineering infrastructure projects. She has considerable experience in successfully leading people and teams through issues of complexity and risk, and is passionate about making a sustainable, transformative impact, especially at the community level. She holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MBA from the University of Cape Town.
Executive: Ease of Doing Business
Benedicta Durcan is the Executive for the Ease of Doing Business at Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone. Tasked with the development and implementation of the Ease of Doing Business model for this Special Economic Zone, which supports activities in the Energy and Maritime sectors, she has led the successful designation of South Africa’s first Freeport in the SBIDZ and Port of Saldanha Bay.
The Ease of Doing Business model that she spearheads is an investor responsive and proactive approach to provide a value-add for the zone’s investment attraction and retention. She is responsible for the removal of red tape through strong partnerships with key government stakeholders and the development of systemic processes and protocols that offer a “one-stop-shop” service to the investors and users of the SBIDZ to further enhance the value proposition.
She is an Executive MBA candidate with UCT, GSB (due to complete in December 2021) and has a Chemical Engineering background with the combined experience of 18 years in the Upstream Oil & Gas Exploration with Schlumberger as well as Shipping and Logistics with Maersk before joining the public sector.
She is a strong advocate for STEM as the Chairperson of SAWISE (South African Women in Science and Engineering) with accolades such as being named the Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans to watch in Science and Technology in 2017 and the Top 50 Inspiring Women in STEM in 2018 to name a few.
Associate: Ease of Doing Business
Shanon is involved in developing and implementing the Ease of Doing Business model for the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone Special Economic Zone, which supports activities in the Energy and Maritime sectors.
She is a dynamic, multi-skilled female, with experience in process operations, manufacturing of explosives and teargas, LEAN Manufacturing and Training with regards to LEAN and operations. She’s a trained NQF5 Facilitator, Assessor PRINCE practitioner with a National Diploma in Chemical Engineering and PGDip in Business Management and Administration from USB (University of Stellenbosch Business School).
She spent three years at Rheinmetall Denel Munition as a Lean Engineer/Process Technologist. She also worked at a stevedoring company in the maritime environment, where she was directing Operations in the Harbour of Saldanha and Mossel Bay as well as in the Port of Saldanha.
Senior Manager – Leveraged Legal Products division at SARS
Andrew has been at SARS in excess of 20 years where he has specialized in Corporate Income Tax.
He has served SARS in various capacities including amongst other things acting as a SARS in-house legal advisor, developing and researching tax legislation, and assisting with the implementation of Corporate income tax legislation at SARS.
Andrew has been involved in the development of the Special Economic Zone Legislation from its inception and with the SARS roll-out of the Corporate Income Tax incentives for companies located within SEZs.
Andrew is an admitted attorney and holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws, and a Masters in Tax law.
VAT Specialist – Leveraged Legal Products Division at SARS
Ashwin performs research and analysis relating to VAT and assists in the implementation, development and maintenance of the VAT legislation in a manner that provides synergy between the VAT policy intent and the tax administration. This involves facilitating and influencing the design of VAT policy and VAT legislation with National Treasury whilst recognizing the operational capacity of SARS. Ashwin also ensures the conversion of VAT legislation into SARS operational policies and procedures and operational delivery through the SARS branches.
Ashwin provides specialist knowledge and skills transfer within SARS and to external stakeholders, such as the Standing Committee on Finance, the African Tax Institute, Revenue Authorities (such as Lesotho, Tanzania, and Seychelles), the OECD, and IMF.
Ashwin is no stranger to VAT, having spent 5 years as a VAT Auditor, 2 years as an Indirect Tax Consultant at PwC, and over 15 years as a VAT Specialist at SARS head office.
Ashwin holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Master of Commerce in Taxation degrees and is registered with SIACA as an Associate General Accountant, AGA(SA).
Customs Legal Specialist
Irvine is a customs legal specialist in the Legislative Policy Tax, Customs and Excise division. He is responsible for performing research to provide high-level guidance to senior management and departments, facilitating legislative and operational alignment across functions and influencing legislative strategy and implementation across the organisation and generating solutions where required.
Irvine holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a National Diploma in Internal Auditing and 15 years experience in the customs policy and legal environment.
Senior Manager – Accreditation and licensing division.
Sithembile’s current portfolio includes Customs Accreditation, where she is responsible for the Coastal AEO programme that covers the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal geographical regions.
She is also currently involved with the Trade Facilitation Project that includes the development of the Single Government Authorised Economic Operator Programme (SGAEO).
She is skilled in Compliance Risk Management, Stakeholder Management & Leadership.
Sithembile’s highest qualifications accomplished are an Honours Degree in Business Management from MANCOSA as well as a Post Graduate Diploma NQF Level 8 in Management Practice from Henley Business School.
Executive
Mr. Henson Msongweni has 19 years of SARS–Customs Excise experience and is currently employed as an Executive based in Cape Town, Western Cape Province.
He is at present responsible for the Trader and Travellers within the SMME’s segment. Before this role, he was the regional Executive within the Customs Operation. His previous roles entailed the position of Senior Manager, responsible for Customs Operations in several border posts including Lebombo Border Post, OR Tambo International airport, and Compliance Centre in Pretoria to name a few.
Henson was also overseeing various border posts in Mpumalanga as a Provincial Manager and Port Coordinator under the previously known Border Control Operations and Coordination Committee (BCOCC) Academically. Henson holds a diploma in Business Management and is currently busy with the dissertation of his Masters in Public Management.
Senior Manager: Customs & Excise – Product and Process
Juleigga Maulgue is a Senior Manager within the Product & Process Unit and concentrates on Policy, Standard Operating Procedures and Guideline reviews to support Operations in achieving their goals.
She assumed this role in May 2020 with the structural changes within the South African Revenue Services. Juleigga has 26 years of experience within the Customs environment which covered various sections within the division and especially within the Post Clearance Audit environment which she managed for more than 10 years in the Western Cape Region.
Her current role and responsibility are to support Trade Facilitation and the Ease of Doing Business especially within the Special Economic Zones of South Africa.