Customs

[Jim Rea]

Can anyone tell me when traveling through S.A. to Zimbabwe, if you only have a short layover till your flight takes off do you have to clear customs and make all those declarations? I will be going through in March & was hoping to not need to go through all that.
Thanks Jim

 

[Shootist43]

Contact henry@riflepermits.com he is an AH Member and a lawyer that lives in SA. He specializes in these types of issues.

Have you discussed this with your outfitter? He should be able to answer your question as well.

 

[Jim Rea]

Contact henry@riflepermits.com he is an AH Member and a lawyer that lives in SA. He specializes in these types of issues.

Have you discussed this with your outfitter? He should be able to answer your question as well.

Shootist43 I apologize for not making myself clear. I actually will not be bringing my rifle. I will be using the outfitters 458wm for elephant. I did not like the idea of declaring how much cash I was carrying if not staying there. I though perhaps someone else had been through this & could guide me.
No discussions with Wayne about this particular subject, but will have in future.
Thanks for you response.
Good Hunting Jim

 

[wesheltonj]

I believe that if all your luggage is checked thru, you can head straight to the gate. If not you will need to clear. And that can take a while.

 

[rookhawk]

First trip I did just that. I paid a premium for travel with guns service. Paid extra for a ticket that would combine USA and RSA flights on same ticket so I wouldn't have to clear SAPs and so I could use skylink even with rifles that are over baggage weight.

I paid big tips to have them check the hull to insure guns were on the plane to Bulawayo from Zim. A $20 tip confirmed it was on board.

Guns didn't arrive. Travel with guns found them two days later. They arrived in Bulawayo and would not be released to my agent as my letter authorizing it wasn't notorized.

In the end, a bribe of around $300-$500 was required, paid by a native PH that was FURIOUS because he just set the market rate for a bribe like this. The state had us by the balls and they knew it. I then paid him a few hundred to deliver it to camp on the 3rd day about 400km away in the bush.

All in, I paid maybe $2000-$3000 to avoid this happening and to overcome it happening. I lost 3 days hunting with my guns on a $25000 ten day hunt also.

What I've learned: never will I do what you're attempting. I will fly Emirates direct to destination or another end to end carrier. I'll pay more for ground transport knowing my guns are in hand.

I will never go to RSA again unless that's my final destination.

 

[Jim Rea]

I believe that if all your luggage is checked thru, you can head straight to the gate. If not you will need to clear. And that can take a while.

First trip I did just that. I paid a premium for travel with guns service. Paid extra for a ticket that would combine USA and RSA flights on same ticket so I wouldn't have to clear SAPs and so I could use skylink even with rifles that are over baggage weight.

I paid big tips to have them check the hull to insure guns were on the plane to Bulawayo from Zim. A $20 tip confirmed it was on board.

Guns didn't arrive. Travel with guns found them two days later. They arrived in Bulawayo and would not be released to my agent as my letter authorizing it wasn't notorized.

In the end, a bribe of around $300-$500 was required, paid by a native PH that was FURIOUS because he just set the market rate for a bribe like this. The state had us by the balls and they knew it. I then paid him a few hundred to deliver it to camp on the 3rd day about 400km away in the bush.

All in, I paid maybe $2000-$3000 to avoid this happening and to overcome it happening. I lost 3 days hunting with my guns on a $25000 ten day hunt also.

What I've learned: never will I do what you're attempting. I will fly Emirates direct to destination or another end to end carrier. I'll pay more for ground transport knowing my guns are in hand.

I will never go to RSA again unless that's my final destination.

Wesheltonj,
That is exactly what my plan is, hopefully no problems.
Rookhawk,
That is the reason for me using the outfitters .458 with a quickfire sight. Sorry to hear how your trip was set back so badly by the S. A. B.S.
Thanks to all for the info
Jim

 

[Hank2211]

Very sorry to hear about @rookhawk experience.

I have "transitted" Jo'berg on a number of occasions (always with guns) and have never had an issue. Both going to other destinations in Africa and going home. Luggage (and guns) were always checked through to my final destination. This is critical - otherwise, you have to pick up and re-check your luggage, and that will require you to "enter" South Africa.

Jo'berg has a transit area, so you never have to enter South Africa if you don't want to. No declarations.

Last time was a year ago, so unless something has changed, you are good to go!

 

[rookhawk]

It happened to me June 2015. Just an error from a handler that brought a gun to SAPS when it was check through and then it got lost. Add to that staff lying to me that it did get on the plane and Zim officials demanding a bribe to release the guns.

How to have a great trip:

Buy a gun and leave it in Africa for reuse ongoing.

Don't deal with any taxidermy.

Those two decisions will make for any easy trip. Naturally none of us, myself included, do it the easy way.

 

[Hank2211]

It happened to me June 2015. Just an error from a handler that brought a gun to SAPS when it was check through and then it got lost. Add to that staff lying to me that it did get on the plane and Zim officials demanding a bribe to release the guns.

How to have a great trip:

Buy a gun and leave it in Africa for reuse ongoing.

Don't deal with any taxidermy.

Those two decisions will make for any easy trip. Naturally none of us, myself included, do it the easy way.

Understood. Makes more sense now.

When Canada - and the EU - started to enforce a ban on weapons to Zimbabwe some years ago - by applying it to hunters - I was unable to bring my own guns to Zim. Since I'm not a big fan of shooting guns I'm unfamiliar with, I "bought" two guns (.300 and .375) in Zimbabwe. They were actually bought by my PH, who looks after them and rents them to clients when he is hunting with them (so he can keep an eye on them - rental guns - like rental cars - aren't always treated as they should be, especially if the renter is now around). He gets to keep the money from the rentals, and when I'm in Zim, I get free ammo. That's important because you can't bring in ammo if you aren't bringing in a matching gun.

The only downside with this system is that you can't (at least you can't easily) bring guns from Zimbabwe to another African country. So unless you plan on hunting in one country frequently, this is at best a stop gap for those of us who are fortunate to be able to afford to do this.

 

[Jim Rea]

Very sorry to hear about @rookhawk experience.

I have "transitted" Jo'berg on a number of occasions (always with guns) and have never had an issue. Both going to other destinations in Africa and going home. Luggage (and guns) were always checked through to my final destination. This is critical - otherwise, you have to pick up and re-check your luggage, and that will require you to "enter" South Africa.

Jo'berg has a transit area, so you never have to enter South Africa if you don't want to. No declarations.

Last time was a year ago, so unless something has changed, you are good to go!

That is the way I am planning to do it. Glad to hear your transit went smoothly. Hopefully mine will as well.
Good Hunting
Jim

 

[Shootist43]

I traveled to SA last August 8th. As you recall that was the day Delta's computers crashed world wide. A long story made short, my sons and I arrived in JoBerg without our checked baggage or rifles. It took several hours to complete all of the necessary paperwork to clear Customs, Immigration and SAPS without anything but the clothes on our backs. Thankfully AH Member Henry Durrheim of @riflepermits.com had been retained to assist us in getting our guns into and out of South Africa. His staff spent many extra hours working with us to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion. We had to borrow our PH's guns for a couple of days but by then all of our rifles, ammo and luggage was delivered to the outfitter's lodge which was some 5 hours North West of the airport. That incident didn't cost me an extra dime, no bribes, nothing. You can bet that I'll be using Henry's services on any and all future trips to SA.

 

[Velo Dog]

Rookhawk,

Sorry to hear of your woes in transit, through the anti-firearm / anti-hunter / anti-freeperson's gauntlet which, is today's "politically correct" airline industry.

In 3 out of 4 trips to Africa, I have brought my own rifle resulting in my growing progressively more annoyed each time, of the constant hassle / bullying and attendant stress from bringing a firearm with me (British Air treated me like garbage over this very topic - they have been my worst experience, within my African travels so far).

Being a shade tree rifle enthusiast, it is possibly more difficult for me than it is for "normal" hunters to use someone else's rifle (I know you are a collector / enthusiast as well).

However, leaving my rifle behind, back in my home country, is what it has come down to for me these days.

I've used a PH's rifle during one trip to Africa and, it was a decent one (Brno Mauser / Zeiss scope), had a great time.

Today, I will not bring a firearm to Africa any more but instead with a smile, I will simply spew bald face lies into the face of anyone connected to the airlines who, stupidly asks what I plan to do in Africa when I get there, etc.

Furthermore, now I will only book with a safari company that offers for rent, a rifle suitable to my taste.

Doesn't have to be a London Best grade (since I am but a simple blue collar income type, in the first place).

However, I feel it is definitely reasonable to ask that, any hunting outfit in Africa provide for their clients to rent - a humble Mauser of some sort, chambered in an appropriate caliber and topped with a quality scope, in sturdy rings or, perhaps if elephant is the quarry, well regulated iron sights (not on my budget unfortunately).

One of my friend's that has gone over twice with me for antelopes/warthog, etc., has never brought a firearm but, has always used his PH's rifles each time, with very fine results (one in 7x57 / 175 grain and one in .30-06 / 220 grain.)

Anyway in synopsis, I will avoid the discrimination and bullying, by leaving my rifles at home and lie to those airline's a-holes by claiming "I'm just another tourist who is going on a photo safari".

Cheers,
Velo Dog.