Consider outsourcing Post Office functions

THE article “Post Office spins its way out of negative coverage” (November 10) would be laughable were the situation not so serious.

Instead of wasting money on spin doctors, CEO Chris Hlekane and his team should concentrate on talking to their customers.

We put together a group of trade and technical publishers, which rely heavily on the South African Post Office for the delivery of their publications, and held a meeting with the mail business side to discuss matters of critical importance. I might add that it took several months to get this first meeting together.

After the meeting, the publishers provided a list of questions that the Post Office officials needed to take up with their MD.

Since then, and in spite of several e-mails, we have heard nothing. Even copying the minister had no effect.

Our alternative is to actively seek other methods of distribution, notwithstanding the monopoly the Post Office has on mail.

Perhaps Hlekane should pay attention to his customer base rather than the paranoia described in the article, and Janras Kotsi, whose responsibility our mail is, should spend a great deal more time with us rather than ignoring our communications and trying to “allegedly shaft his CEO”, as the article suggests.

The Post Office is a mess, like other parastatals, and the government should start thinking of making them more effective by bringing business in to run them. It may cost more, but there would be fewer strikes, more efficiency and a lot less entitlement culture! — Rory Macnamara