The miracle dogs that make South Africa R1.7 billion a year

A shortage of dogs used to sniff out drugs and other contraband is costing South Africa’s tax agency millions of rand in foregone customs revenue.

The agency’s Detector Dog Unit has 66 handlers, nine of whom are without dogs, and needs to acquire 14 additional canines to meet operational requirements.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revealed this in a written reply to a lawmaker’s question on Thursday.

Each dog contributes about R29.7 million to the state’s coffers each year by detecting goods that would have otherwise evaded customs duty, indicating that the shortfall in animals is costing some R415 million annually in lost income, he said.

“This estimate remains subject to operational deployment, the prevailing risk environment and detection success rates.”

A tender process to acquire additional dogs is due to commence next month, and a new panel of suppliers will likely be appointed by April next year.  

“The limited availability of dogs that meet the behavioural standards required for customs detector dog training” is a challenge, Godongwana said. “More than 60% of dogs assessed do not meet the testing requirements.”