Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele said he had instructed Sapo and the department to do everything possible to prevent Sapo from being liquidated, and to safeguard the services it offers. Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA)
Cape Town - While medical costs pile up for former SA Post Office (Sapo) employees and pensioners, the state-owned enterprise has remained tight-lipped over plans on their proposed buy-out options.
This comes as Sapo planned to negotiate with pensioners for a once-off payment from the Post Office in lieu of subsidising their pension fund contributions, leaving the pensioners in limbo while the litigation unfolded.
Pensioner and former Sapo employee Billy Baatjes, 83, said with no communication from Sapo, they had been left in the dark, while medical claims were rejected.
“I now have to make cash payments when collecting my chronic medication every month. I had claims that have been rejected, and we only get this communication from the medical aid once they want to process the claims.
“They reinstated the payments a few months ago, but now it has been stopped again with no reason.
Sapo is defaulting on the payments it should be making to the medical aid, while the portion that I am liable for still goes off on debit order from my account every month,” said Baatjes.
According to Baatjes, he believed relief would come after the National Treasury’s bailout of R2.4billion in February – pulling the SOE from the edge of liquidation.
Last month, the High Court in Pretoria placed Sapo under provisional liquidation after an application was made by property company Bay City Trading 475 for unpaid rent.
The matter is expected to be heard on June 1.
After securing the funding from National Treasury, Sapo said the funds would be used to settle some of its historical creditors, while implementing their strategy towards sustainability.
Sapo spokesperson Suzie Khumalo said the buy-out matter was currently before court.
“The Post Office is unable to respond to your inquiry at this point due to sensitive matters that are before the courts, and do not wish to jeopardise any possibility of a successful resolution,” Khumalo said.
On Wednesday, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele said he had instructed Sapo and the department to do everything possible to prevent Sapo from being liquidated, and to safeguard the services it offers.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly, Gungubele said the provisional liquidation of Sapo had the potential to affect ordinary South Africans who depended on it for services.
“If it becomes a final order, not less than 700 SMMEs (small, medium and micro enterprises) that support Sapo will be affected,” Gungubele said.
He said besides 6.9 million beneficiaries who had received their grants, no fewer than 12 000 workers would also be affected.
Asked why he had appointed the same board – that had mismanaged Sapo in the interim – to oversee the entity’s bailout by the National Treasury, Gungubele said they were in the process of appointing a new board.
Cape Times
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