The Mitchell’s Plain area will still have access to postal services.
That is the message from the South African Post Office (Sapo) following an uproar over the recent closure of local branches.
The most recent closure was that of the Mitchell’s Plain Post Office.
It was closed permanently on Tuesday 31 January, reportedly due to rental issues.
Sapo spokesperson Johan Kruger confirms to People’s Post that the Caravelle Post Office in Rocklands, which was situated at the Rocklands shopping centre which burnt down earlier this year, will open again to serve the greater Mitchell’s Plain area.
“The shopping complex where it is located, was damaged by fire and it will reopen as soon as the landlord has repaired the damage,” he says. “(Residents will be able to use the) Caravelle Post Office. Other alternatives are Grassy Park, Gatesville and Lansdowne post offices.”
But referring residents to branches around 20 km away is unacceptable, says Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who wrote to Sapo earlier this month.
“It has come to my attention that Sapo has decided to close all branches in the Mitchell’s Plain area. Mitchell’s Plain has thousands of residents who rely on the Sapo for their mail and withdrawal of their South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants. This decision will have serious negative consequences for local residents,” says Hill-Lewis, in a statement. “Residents are already struggling with the rising cost of living. Travelling twenty kilometres to the nearest post office is a big task.”
Kruger says the decision was out of their hands.
“The landlord closed the branch at the end of 2022 but then chose not to renew the lease contract. That turned it into a permanent closure,” he says.
Workers, who have been deployed in the area, will “temporarily be deployed elsewhere in the Post Office”, he says.
The cash-strapped entity has opted to close several branches and merge others due to cash flow.
Living in a digital era where many services rendered by the post office may have become redundant, Kruger says they are looking at ways to keep the service relevant.
“The post office needs to adapt to the digital era and is developing its capacity to deliver parcels that were bought online and also extended its service for the renewal of car licenses to an online platform. The online renewal of car licenses is, unfortunately available in all provinces except the Western Cape,” he says.
“The SA Post Office is self-funded. In all provinces except the Western Cape, car owners can renew their car licenses at post offices, and patients and government clinics can collect their medication from their local post office. This keeps the post offices relevant and makes these post offices more viable. We continue to engage the Western Cape government to provide these services to their citizens.”
On Wednesday 15 February, ward councillor and sub council chair, Solomon Philander joined in on a peaceful demonstration along AZ Berman Drive to voice their concerns over the closures.
“Although this is a national postal service and state-owned enterprise we are deeply saddened by the closure of all the post offices in Mitchell’s Plain,” says Philander.
“When I interviewed, the greater community and our seniors raised concerns that they had to travel to Kenilworth Centre to get the postal service. In other instances, seniors were concerned about where must they pay for their TV licenses. A 72-year-old lady said: “They are sending us statements and expect us to pay but the post office is closed. People that saved money at the post office due to the low cost will have no alternative to make use of other banking institution ATMs at a higher cost.”
Philander says this has an impact on other organisations as well.
He says organisations such as Safeline Child Abuse Centre still make use of the post office to communicate with clients, especially those unable to afford a mobile phone or email. “The Post Office is still a valuable tool, specifically to the poor and vulnerable in our community. The support we received again calls to intensify the campaign as our people are absolutely left behind by the treatment of decision-makers of the South African Post Office. Our call is to at least have one outlet of access to the community of Mitchell’s Plain,” he says.
Earlier this week, the Western Cape legislature stated it would also be looking into the closure of several branches.
In a statement issued on Tuesday last week by Democratic Alliance members of provincial parliament (MPP) Christopher Fry and Dan Plato, “the Western Cape Legislature will invite representatives of Sapo to appear before a joint meeting of the Standing Committees on Social Development and Premier and Constitutional Affairs.”
Costs of travelling to other branches were highlighted as a major concern.
Fry said: “The national government and Sapo must account before the Western Cape Parliament committees on the state of post offices in the province. The state-owned entity must give answers on what happened to the once reliable service provider. We will ensure we leave no stone unturned in bringing the national government to book.”
