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Importing a car to South Africa is a convoluted business - and can be tricky. Here's what I know.
Befre you leave you need to apply for an import permit from Mrs R. van Vuuren (very knowledgeable and helpful) at ITAC and a Letter of Authority (LOA) from the SABS. The import permit is only valid for 12 months and you should allow at least 1 month's grace, preferably 2 once you reach South Africa to allow for any problems you may encounter. The Loa does not expire, costs R1800 and you need a letter from the manufacturer in South Africa stating that the vehicle is manufactures to SA standards, is right hand drive and has km/hr on the speedometer.
I'm not sure what the correct process is here. We entered South Africa from Swaziland where there is not a full customs post. Also the Customs guy did not seem to know what the process was and it was 5pm on a Friday! Consequently he let us in and told me to go to SARS in Durban (our destination). We had entered Swaziland on our Carnet. I went to the SARS offices at Durban airport - a quieter terminal and more friendly people than at the port. Here you get your customs clearance. You need your import permit, LOA and Carnet and you have to use a clearing agent - there is one at the airport (Rohlig-Grindrod). They submit your paperwork and get your clearance. You may have to present you vehicle to be checked - engine no. and chassis no. Once the car is cleared you recieve the SAD500 form (Bill of entry). The clearing agents charged a fee of R650. If you are liable for any duties you pay them at the SARS office before you get you clearance. The SAD500 then needs to be stamped on the back at the main office in Albany House, Victoria Embankment, Durban. Here they need the Import permit, LOA, SAD500 and, if you didn't pay any duty the D304 or something. Somehow I managed to slip through the net and didn't fill in this form but by giving a sob story the ladt stamped my form anyway.
I had extra fun and games with my claerance as there had been a mistake somewhere along the line and the system was showing that my import permit had already been used - a case of 'computer says no' - but a few phone calls to Pretoria and 2 weeks of waitng sorted the glitch out.
The licensing bureau needs the import permit, LOA, SAD500 stamped, foreign registration docs, a police check, COR, your ID and a couple of forms filled in. These all get photocopied and sent to Pietermaritzburg (for Natal applications) and you get told to wait 3 weeks for a phone call. That is the stage I have now got to.