Cape Town - The SA Post Office’s severe financial constraints are behind the closure of all its branches in Mitchells Plain.
Post Office spokesperson Johan Kruger confirmed that the branch closures, which have led to protests from politicians, were because “landlords did not renew the rental contracts for the post offices in Mitchells Plain. (We) cannot afford the rental.”
Kruger said the post offices had already been closed for a while and that the most convenient alternatives for Mitchells Plain residents were the Grassy Park, Gatesville and Lansdowne branches.
As for services such as Sassa (South African Social Security Agency), Kruger said: “Customers should note that their Sassa cards can be used at any ATM or any supermarket; they do not depend on the Post Office to receive their grant.”
In November last year Parliament’s select committee on public enterprises and communication heard from the entity’s strategic planning GM Geert Bataille, who said the Post Office cannot pay service providers, nor landlords. It has also been forced to close many of its branches.
Meanwhile, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has written to the Post Office’s management asking for an urgent meeting to discuss possible solutions to the post office closures.
Hill-Lewis said: “Mitchells Plain has many thousands of residents who rely on the Post Office for their mail and withdrawal of their Sassa grants. This decision will have serious negative consequences for local residents.”
He said it was unacceptable that Mitchells Plain residents were simply being referred to the closest branch 20km away and that residents were already struggling with the rising cost of living
DA Mitchells Plain constituency head Ricardo Mackenzie said the party objected to the closures and was in support of the mayor’s request for a meeting and the request that the Post Office must open at least one of their branches in Mitchells Plain.
ANC Western Cape caucus leader Cameron Dugmore said: “We will fight this closure and also request a meeting with the Post Office leadership and minister. We need a full and transparent briefing about this closure and others. We cannot accept that a community of close to 400 000 residents does not have a post office.“