Lobatse Clay Works

Lobatse Clay Works faces significant operational and financial hurdles when exporting bricks in Southern Africa, primarily due to inconsistent weighbridge readings, varying vehicle permit and insurance costs—including a newly introduced carbon tax—and divergent regional policies such as VAT calculations. The firm reports that the Southern African Customs Union (SAUC) tariff structure favors South Africa over Botswana's interests. Despite participating in SADC forums, the company perceives a lack of progress on these long-standing trade barriers, noting that engagement with policymakers has yielded no outcomes.

• Lobatse Clay Works identifies three primary barriers to trade: inconsistent weighbridge readings, varying costs for vehicle permits and insurance (which now include a carbon tax), and general inconsistencies in regional policies and regulations.
• Weighbridge discrepancies between Botswana and the Namibian border create financial and security risks, as drivers without cash must leave trucks in insecure environments to find cash points, sometimes over 200km away.
• The firm views the Southern African Customs Union (SAUC) tariff structure as biased toward South Africa's interests and believes that regional engagement through SADC has failed to produce tangible outcomes despite 15 years of discussion.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2012). Lobatse Clay Works. https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/lobatse-clay-works/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Lobatse Clay Works. 2012. https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/lobatse-clay-works/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Lobatse Clay Works |date=24 July 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/lobatse-clay-works/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2012lobatse, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Lobatse Clay Works}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/lobatse-clay-works/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }