Johannesburg – The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called for a forensic audit into the finances of the South African Post Office (Sapo).
CWU general secretary Aubrey Tshabalala said there was reasonable cause to believe that funds had been misused at the entity for a number of years.
“Sapo is a key state entity but we believe the government is sabotaging the entity in order for the private sector to benefit from the services offered by Sapo. We are extremely concerned by the state of the entity. There must be an investigation into the finances of the entity,” said Tshabalala.
Sapo presented its new turnaround plan to parliament in October as it battles with financial problems compounded by the coronavirus lockdown. The Post Office at the time said it had been “severely impacted” by the pandemic and lockdown measures that “ravaged” the business dependent on physical customer presence and in-branch footprints.
Sapo has also been saddled with management instability for several years.
Adding to the leadership vacuum was the resignation of Post Office’s CFO, Khathutshelo Ramukumba, just three months into the job.
The Post Office is still without a permanent CEO after Mark Barnes quit a year-and-a-half ago. Cameron MacKenzie, DA spokesperson on communications & digital technologies, said the department needed a new minister and Sapo a new owner.
“It is abundantly clear this lame-duck Sapo cannot fly. Yet unlike SAA, the Post Office really is an essential lifeline to the outside world for many people, especially in rural or remote areas, and with the largest footprint in the country to boot,” said MacKenzie.
“If the Sapo is to be saved, government needs to stop talking about public-private partnerships or social compacts with business and start implementing them. For an experienced operator with capital to invest, the Sapo can work; part or complete privatisation is the only alternative to bankruptcy.”
The department had not responded to questions by the time of printing.
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