Whilst I wouldn’t trust the South African Post Office (Sapo) to handle my mail, or anything, really, millions of South Africans do rely on their services.

They’ll be pleased to know that Sapo is implementing full services as of this past Monday (May 25), with acting Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Jackson Mthembu relaxing the regulations that had previously applied.

MyBroadband reports that in the directive for the Communications and Digital Technologies sector issued on May 3, a number of safety precautions existed, such as:

Not more than 30% of staff must be allowed to enter the workplace at the same time at any point;

Different start and end times should be implemented;

No more than 882 (almost 60%) of Post Office branches may be open.

Those restrictions would have greatly reduced the operating capacity of Sapo which, as we know, is iffy at the best of times.

That’s not to mention the pandemonium that is Customs, which is why ordering anything from overseas is best done through a service like Postbox Courier.

Overseas goods delivered to your door, including those that don’t ship to South Africa, with a few clicks of the mouse:

Sapo acting CEO Ivumile Nongogo said that as of this week, 1 017 branches nationwide are operational, with the remainder to open in a phased approach when sufficient safety measures have been implemented.

Nongogo added that they expect all branches to be operational by Monday, June 1, and that restricted shift hours at its sorting centres will no longer be required.

I would say that’s why your mail is taking so long to arrive, but that was the case long before the coronavirus struck.

Services available at Sapo branches also include account payments and certifying documents, with the renewal of motor vehicle licenses to resume on Monday, June 1.

[source:mybroadband]