Cape Town – Thousands more people working for the South African Post Office could lose their jobs, following the news that 235 post office branches will shut their doors this year.
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele has confirmed that retrenchments are under way but did not give exact figures, according to BusinessTech.
EWN reports that more than a third of the SAPO’s branches have already shut up shop since the Covid pandemic, with at least 6 000 postal workers having already lost their jobs.
Most of the branches slated for closure this year are in the Central Region (104), encompassing the Free State and parts of the North West. The minister would not disclose the exact location of the branches affected.
In addition, 41 branches will close in the Northern region (North Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West); 28 in the Western region (Western Cape and Northern Cape); 24 in Eastern Cape; 21 in KwaZulu-Natal and 17 in Gauteng.
The government-owned SAPO, which reportedly has liabilities of R12 billion, was placed under business rescue in July 2023.
Welcoming the adoption of a proposed business rescue plan in December, Gungubele said “we remain committed to ensuring that we build a post office of tomorrow which provides quality, affordable and accessible services to the people of South Africa, particularly in this digital era”.
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Picture: Picture: Twitter/@PostofficeSa
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