OPINION - I purchased from a second-hand bookshop a book about the South African Air Force. I have a relation living in the UK who used to be in the Air Force and I thought he would enjoy it.
So after some advanced packing (we all know how the post office staff treat parcels), it’s off to the post office. As usual there were three staff but only one doing any work. The book was weighed in at 1.1kg. Okay, how much? R280.
Wow! How long will it take to get to the UK? Weeks.
Fast-forward to the next day. I acted on the advice of my wife, who said: “Why don’t you try having the item sent by one of the local couriers?”
So off I went to PostNet. The cost was exactly half the post office charge and it will arrive early next week. Why oh why have I been wasting time and money sending things (and losing things) via the South African Post Office?
We have to wonder how a service that for years and years provided us with a reliable and safe method of communication has been rendered redundant.
I recently received a letter from Europe that took 149 days to arrive - three days from Europe to Johannesburg, and 146 days from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
We often say who on Earth is running things? When referring to the post office, there’s no need for a reply - (ex-chief executive Mark) Barnes is gone, his office is empty.
Mike Law Clovelly
Daily News