Rod Lichkus

We have teamed up with a specialist international trade consultant to offer a comprehensive suite of services in this important area of business and law.

Rod brings forty years’ experience in the field of international trade, with a special focus on import and export formalities, from both the public and private sector perspective. He has an expert understanding of customs and excise procedures, HS code tariff classification and customs valuation within South Africa, Southern African Customs Union (SACU), and most of the Southern African Development Community countries (SADC).

Rod led the EY/Deloitte team in commenting on the new draft Customs Bills.

He was the chairperson of the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) initiative to the Electronic Commerce Steering Committee for the DTI/SARS/Business sector.

He represented organised business associations (CTFA, mostly ad valorem duty negotiations with Treasury), (SAASA) and (BUSA) at the SARS stakeholder Forum.

He represented South African business on the WTO Trade Facilitation Forum. Rod has been part of the WTO trade facilitation discussions and workshops in South Africa and abroad and more recently in China. He has presented a paper to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva on ‘Aid for Trade’.

Rod had input into the content for national tertiary qualification in the supply chain management (Customs and Excise).

Rod is a Registered Tax Practitioner with SARS and a Tax Technician (SA)(SAIT)

Skills:

• Rod was a member on the Accenture team reviewing the “Draft Policy Statement on Industrial Development Zones (IDZ)”, specifically Coega.
• Rod was a member of the Ernst & Young Transnet “Internal audit project” team.
• He managed the “synfuels” and “bio diesel” International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) applications.
• He assisted an international motor vehicle manufacturer with EPA (European Union Trade Agreement) country of origin calculations for compliance with the agreement.
• He has conducted customs and trade due diligences for industry, the objective of which was to minimise risk and take advantage of opportunities available.
• Rod has also undertaken numerous training and mentorship assignments.