Post Office future still under discussion as Treasury holds back on funding details

THE South African Post Office (Sapo) was not mentioned in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), so I had to ask the Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his media briefing why that was so.

- HELMO PREUSS

He answered that this was because the Treasury and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies had not yet finalised what the Post Office of the Future would look like in the digital age.

Sapo was placed in business rescue on July 10, 2023. In 2023/24, Sapo reduced costs and met some operational targets, yet it remains financially stressed due to high net losses and low revenue. Sapo used the R2.4 billion allocated in 2022/23 to implement a business rescue plan. As part of this plan, it closed 354 branches and retained 657 branches.

The Treasury in its Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) tabled in February 2025 noted that the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has allocated R1.8 billion to SAPO for its universal service obligations to provide postal services in underserviced areas.