Until SAAFF Summit 2021
16 - 17 September 2021 - Online Only Event
A special Thank-You to all our delegates that attended our first ever virtual summit.
A copy of the recording is available on our platform for registered delegates.
The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) Summit is the most comprehensive and influential online business platform for the freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain sectors in Southern Africa. It will bring together over 300 decision-makers, experts and industry leaders.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, this year’s annual SAAFF event will be a virtual event.
The online event will be live-streamed on 16 and 17 September 2021. Delegates will also be able to network and interact with various leading freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain brands at our virtual exhibition.
The theme for SAAFF Summit 2021 is ‘creating industry connectivity’ and it is designed to provide delegates with the latest trends in freight forwarding, industry insights and cutting-edge freight forwarding solutions.
Our exciting line-up at the 2021 SAAFF Summit includes keynote sessions, presentations, and interactive panel discussions.
Virtual chat functions, polls and other online, interactive tools will enable delegates to network, engage and exchange information. Our online expo will enable visitors to source products online, download information, and meet exhibitors through online chats.
An exciting Programme awaits!
What is the SAAFF Summit about?
The SAAFF Summit brings together the industry sectors and the decision makers, influencers, and role players that organisations can interact with, which will in turn fulfil the SAAFF mission: to lead strategic initiatives that deliver successful outcomes through excellence in:
Service Delivery
Information
Dissemination
Research
Analysis
Advocacy
Presentations and panel discussions by industry thought leaders which promise to be innovative, interesting and relevant.
- The political-economic landscape
- SARS and customs legislation
- SMART borders
- The digitalisation of Other Government Agencies
- E-commerce
- Ethical leadership
- African trade and the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement
- Marine insurance
- New technologies: drones, artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovations
- Software solutions
- Challenges facing the SA freight forwarding and customs clearing industry
- The COVID-19 vaccine roll-out
- Risk management and ongoing volatility
- The changing aviation centre of gravity: a look at the next 10 years
- The workplace/industry of the future
- Technology and digitalisation
- Improved trade facilitation
- Customs compliance
- Who will with the freight forwarding industry’s battle for data?
- Training for the future and more…
Network online with industry stakeholders within the African freight forwarding, logistics, and customs clearing industry. These include:
- Presidents, Vice Presidents
- General Managers
- Senior Managers: technical, operational, strategic
- Chief Executive Officers
- Managing Directors
- Division and Sector Directors
- Business Development, Marketing, and Finance Managers
- Young entrepreneurs
- Suppliers to the industry
Sectors participating in the SAAFF Summit:
- Border control
- Cargo handling
- Customs and ports
- Government and parastatals
- Health and safety
- Information and communication technology (ICT)
- Insurance
- Marine
- Road legislation
- Security
- Terminals and airports
- Transport technology
- Warehousing
Joining us this year

Dr. Alex Stancu
Dr Alex Stancu is the Head of Account Management for South & East Africa overseeing IATA’s operations in 23 countries in South East Africa, owning and nurturing senior level relationships with 30+ airlines, 50+ airports,

Basil Pietersen
Managing Director of Multilog and Southern African Group Executive Director of Afrilog, has spent over 50 years in the freight and logistics industry

Beyers Theron
Beyers Theron is a Customs Officer who has served in various roles within Customs & Excise since 1983 culminating in the recent…

Bruce Ellison
Bruce is a strategy consultant who has been working with the World Bank Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Division since 2019,

Bruce Whitfield
Bruce is a multi-platform award-winning financial journalist. His work on radio, television and in print gives him unique access to South Africa’s biggest power brokers in business and money.

Cas Coovadia
Cas is the Chief Executive Officer of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and the former Managing Director of The Banking Association SA (BASA). He is the Chairperson of the National Business Initiative

Catherine Grant Makokera
Catherine is an experienced trade negotiator and trade policy expert, having worked in the public, private and academic sectors at multilateral and regional levels.

Cobus Rossouw
Cobus Rossouw is an acclaimed industrial engineer and supply chain professional with corporate leadership, entrepreneurial…

Dennis Davis
Prof Dennis Davis was educated at Herzlia School in Cape Town, as well as the Universities of Cape Town (UCT) and Cambridge.

Derek Watts
Derek Watts has been a journalist for more than 40 years, presenting on South African television since 1985 as a sports anchor on SABC News and starting TopSport.

Devlyn Naidoo
Executive for SARS & Other Government Agencies (OGAs) at SAAFF. He is passionate about skills development,

Edward Kieswetter
Edward re-joined as SARS Commissioner on 1 May 2019. He had formerly served as the founding Group Executive of the SARS

Elvin Harris
Elvin Harris has been working in transportation since 1995, although mostly from a Government and macro-transport system perspective.

Dr Francis Mangeni
Dr. Francis Mangeni has worked and consulted extensively on the multilateral trade system and African economic integration.

Ms Hong Nguyen
Ms Hong Nguyen is currently a Technical Officer in the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate of the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

Jason Blackman
Jason Blackman is a logistics and express industry veteran with over 22 years’ experience within the courier and logistics industry. He started working at DHL in South Africa in 1994…

John Edwin Mein
John Edwin Mein is a Brazilian, born in Recife Brazil. After receiving his Master’s degree in International Business from Thunderbird, in Arizona (USA), he worked in the International area of a US Bank

Keith Engel
Keith Engel is the Chief Executive Officer for the South African Institute of Tax Professionals. As part of his core duties managing the Institute,

Lawson Naidoo
Lawson Naidoo is the Executive Secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC),

Letchmee Naidoo
Letchmee Naidoo spent 27 years with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), where she gained her knowledge in Customs as the head of various ports of entry.

Lizeth Kruger
Lizeth Kruger is currently the Dis-Chem National Clinic Manager overseeing 400 Nursing Practitioners in 180 Pharmacies.

Luciano (Luc) Pugliatti
Luc Pugliatti is a senior advisor with the trade facilitation division of the World Bank. He specialises in assisting governments implement their obligations

Lucky Molefe
Lucky Molefe is an Executive at the South African Revenue Service responsible for Cross-border Coordination.

Maria du Preez
Maria is the Business Development Director for Bidvest International Logistics, a position she was appointed to in 2012 after a career in operations…

Dr Martin Cameron
Martin is the Managing director of TRADE Research Advisory (PTY) Ltd, a spin-out company of the North-West University’s TRADE research entity.

Mike Fitzmaurice
Mike Fitzmaurice, the Executive Director of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (FESARTA)

Dr Nicholas Crisp
Dr Crisp is a medical doctor and public health specialist who has for many years focused on health management, consulting across the African continent. He was Head of the Department of Health and Welfare

Nuran Idris
Nuran Idris joined GS1 Global Office in January 2020. She works in the Healthcare team as Healthcare Manager for Africa. She is based in Nairobi, Kenya and is originally from neighboring Tanzania.

Peter Varndell
Peter Varndell was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Business Foundation (NBF) on 17 September 2018.

Ralph Mathekga
Ralph Mathekga started his studies in Political Science, Law and Economic History at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he completed his BA degree.

Dr Ronald Whelan
Dr Ronald Whelan is Chief Commercial Officer of Discovery Health. A medical doctor by training with an MBA, he was Associate Partner at McKinsey

Stavros Nicolaou
Stavros Nicolaou is the Aspen Pharmacare Group’s Senior Executive responsible for Strategic Trade Development. Previously he was CEO of Aspen’s Export Business. Aspen is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer

Thomas Sim
Thomas Sim is the Group Chief Executive Officer of International Freight Consultants (S) Pte. Ltd. (a member of ‘The Topocean Group’, USA),

Timothy Thom
Timothy has always been interested in the risk and financial services industry, completing his BCom in Management Sciences, focusing on Supply Chain and Financial Management.

Trudi Hartzenberg
Trudi Hartzenberg is the Executive Director of the Trade Law Centre (tralac). Her research areas include international trade, competition policy, industrial development and Africa’s integration agenda.
Why You Need to attend SAAFF Summit 2021
Learn
about the latest developments impacting on the freight forwarding industry
Grow
your network in freight forwarding, customs and supply chain
Win
some exciting prizes
Sponsorship Opportunities
Are you eager to generate new leads for your business and engage with the freight forwarding industry, both locally and across Africa?
Become a sponsor or book a virtual booth at the SAAFF Summit 2021.
The expected attendance is approximately 300 delegates (80% South African, 20% from Region Africa and the Middle East).
The SAAFF Summit will be an important platform as we celebrate 100 years of SAAFF’s service to the Industry. It’s an ideal opportunity to engage with leading industry players and decision makers that shape the course of the Industry and the ideal platform to promote and market your products and services to the forwarding and logistics industry.
