Brackenfell Post Office, due to a lack of funds, has failed to meet standard fire-safety requirements for the last two years, endangering the lives of employees and the public.
This amid the decade-long financial battles of the South African Post Office that resulted in insolvency in 2021.
In direct breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the fire hose at this post office was last serviced in October 2021.
South African fire-safety standards require fire equipment to be serviced annually or that their foolproof status is ensured in case of a fire.
A concerned citizen, Martin Coetzee, observed this date of service on the fire-hose reel while waiting in the queue on a recent visit.
“Noting this, I requested to speak to the health-and-safety representative about the non-compliance and the response was utterly alarming. I was informed that the post office did not have money to adhere to the minimum legal requirement to have the fire equipment serviced,” he said.
Coetzee then requested to see the office manager and her response, according to him, was the same.
Operational constraints
Staving off South African Post Office liquidation, business-rescue practitioner Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Martins Damons were appointed joint interim rescue practitioners on 24 July, after a ruling of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in early July.
On Friday Rooplal told TygerBurger the two are now effectively assuming full control of the management and supervision of the post office.
“This means we can now attend to dealing with the many operational challenges affecting the organisation,” he said.
“The branch network and the fact that the branches tend to operate correctly is the cornerstone of this business to many South Africans. Our assessments and investigations of the branches are a top priority, notwithstanding the financial and operational constraints that beset them.
“Given the early stages of our appointment, we request some time to appreciate the operational and financial issues.”
He could not give any indication of when issues such as fire or other occupational safety regulations at post offices would be investigated.
Taxpayer bailouts
According to the Financial Mail, the Post Office has “guzzled R8,4 billion in taxpayer bailouts in the last five years” while paying its directors a total of R23,9 million.
The state-owned enterprise’s liabilities exceed its assets by R4 billion and its debt totals R8 billion with the business rescue making way for another R6,2 billion taxpayer bailout.
But for those like Coetzee still making use of the entity this is little consolation.
“Fire safety is of critical interest to both employees of the postal services and the broader public that is still making use of this entity. Equipment and buildings can be replaced, but not life, once perished in a possible fire,” he said.
