Post Office on the ropes

The Post Office is on a race to the bottom. Since the disastrous four-month strike that ended in November 2014, the entity has repeatedly promised strategic turnaround plans to recover lost customers and return to profitability.

Under CEO Mark Barnes, aggressive costcutting and cost controls were hailed as the means to arrest declining revenue and restore lost profits, with fresh revenue streams expected from a full banking licence, new e-commerce opportunities and social grant distribution.

These promises remain as empty as our post boxes, as the backlog was supposed to have been cleared in September, then October and now November.

Losing about R80m every month, the Post Office is only in business thanks to annual billionrand, taxpayer-funded bailouts. With mail volume declining the world over, it would be well advised to take good care of its remaining customers.

Its oxymoronic customer-care e-mail service and telephone helplines remain unanswered and do nothing to restore the confidence of its grossly abused customer base.

Perhaps it is time for the Post Office to relinquish its legislated mail monopoly, because if it will not and cannot deliver, give the opportunity to private-sector players who have demonstrated the will, capacity and ability to get the job done.

Cameron MacKenzie MP Cape Town