South African gets World Customs post

30 June 2010

The South African Revenue Service is proud to announce that one of its
senior officials, Mr Erich Kieck, who is the Group Executive: Customs
Strategy and Policy at SARS, has been elected to head capacity building
at the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

Mr Kieck was elected as Director: Capacity Building at the WCO's annual
council meeting held in Brussels, Belgium, with an overwhelming majority
of 80 percent, receiving 129 of the 176 votes available from WCO member
states. According to the Chief Officer, Customs and Border Management at
SARS, Gene Ravele, who elect Mr Kieck to this important position at the
WCO on 26 June 2010 once again signifies the role that SARS continues to
play in enhancing customs capabilities at a global level.

Mr Ravele says, "It builds on the contribution that South Africa has
been making through its Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan to the
global customs community such as the creation of the capacity building
directorate, the launching of the biggest capacity building efforts in
the WCO history and the adoption of new global customs standards. All
these were achieved during Minister Gordhan's chairmanship of the WCO
Council in the period 2001 to 2006."

Erich's election has shown that SARS customs shares a vision of
enhancing customs capacity at all levels. At home this will be achieved
through our customs modernisation programme, at a bilateral level
through the cooperation agreements we have with other countries such as
those signed with customs administrations of Lesotho and Mauritius at
the same council sessions, at a regional level through participation in
Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and SADC customs project and at
global level through the WCO.

"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Erich and the
campaign team on this magnificent achievement and wish him all the best
in his new position. I have no doubt that he will take customs capacity
building to the next level and help countries around the world fulfil
their mandate," says Mr Ravele.

Erich will start his five-year term in Brussels, Belgium, on 1 January
2011 and will be replacing the current Director Mr Lars Karlsson from
Sweden. The second post of Director Compliance and Facilitation was
filled by a candidate from China Customs, Mr ZHU Gaozhang.

Issued by: South African Revenue Service
30 June 2010
Source: South African Revenue Service (http://www.sars.gov.za/)