The cargo terminals at OR Tambo International — the busiest air freight gateway on the African continent — will become a key enforcement point for South Africa's new Certificate of Conformity requirement when the SABS Pre-Export Verification of Conformity programme becomes mandatory on 20 September 2026, with implications for the hundreds of importers who route high-value goods through Kempton Park's logistics corridor.

Phase 1 of the programme covers solar PV products, furniture, cosmetics, children's toys, and electrical appliances imported from Mainland China — categories where air freight through OR Tambo represents a substantial channel for high-margin, time-sensitive consignments. The Border Management Authority will scan a verification QR code at clearance, as PR Africa reports.

Forwarders operating from the OR Tambo cargo precinct have begun briefing clients on the operational shift. The change moves Certificate documentation from PDFs and emailed copies to scannable verification URLs that resolve to tamper-proof files stored at registries with five-year retention.

Air freight importers can register with documentation infrastructure providers such as certificatesofconformity.co.za ahead of the September enforcement window.