Post Office monopoly on deliveries under 1kg a very bad idea - lawyer

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Post Office monopoly on deliveries under 1kg will have devastating consequences, warns lawyer

If the South African Post Office (SAPO) and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is successful in stopping private courier companies from delivering packages under 1kg in South Africa, it can have devastating consequences.

This is the warning from Nortons director, Anton Roets, who is representing PostNet and the South African Express Parcel Association (SAEPA) in a legal battle regarding this issue.
 
All Monopolies should be outlawed completely. You want the job you need to be the best, end of story.
 
It's about time the control freaks in the commie anc moved with the times....phht!
 
The Post Office has been booted out of many places for not paying rent, reducing their footprint substantially. I wonder how they envisage servicing clients in those areas. Seems to me they need to first prove they have the ability to deliver on the desired mandate.
 
The SA Post Office argued that it is the only licensed provider which can deliver reserved postal services in terms of the Postal Services Act 124 of 1998.
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This is just a ridiculous "law".
Why isn't the Competition Commission not involved?
 
“No one is permitted to transport or deliver reserved postage as set out in the Schedules to the Act, unless licensed to do so in terms of the Postal Services Act 124 of 1998,” the CCC said.
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Simple Options:
  1. Scrap the act - as it is unfair establishes a monopoly and dicriminates
  2. Keep the act and fine SAPO billions for not delivering parcels failing to providing service
  3. Stop SAPO bailouts as this is uisng taxpayer funds to compete with private companies
  4. Keep the act and license all courier companies as providers in terms of the Act
Personally I'm for (1) and (3)
 
system32 said:
Simple Options:
  1. Scrap the act - as it is unfair establishes a monopoly and dicriminates
  2. Keep the act and fine SAPO billions for not delivering parcels failing to providing service
  3. Stop SAPO bailouts as this is uisng taxpayer funds to compete with private companies
  4. Keep the act and license all courier companies as providers in terms of the Act
Personally I'm for (1) and (3)
Click to expand...
I think early 2000's there was an issue as well between SAPO & Postnet? I left SA 2003. What hasn't changed is that they just want it. Instead of saying, here we are and competing for it as well. Fair competition. But (There's always a but...) instead of doing so, they pull the same socialist, com crap, as always. Weird that the majority of the African continent, think that this is working. That's why SA will never be successful in the world as it's today.
 
system32 said:
Simple Options:
  1. Scrap the act - as it is unfair establishes a monopoly and dicriminates
  2. Keep the act and fine SAPO billions for not delivering parcels failing to providing service
  3. Stop SAPO bailouts as this is uisng taxpayer funds to compete with private companies
  4. Keep the act and license all courier companies as providers in terms of the Act
Personally I'm for (1) and (3)
Click to expand...

Given that the court date hasn't even been set yet, this will bubble under for a long while still.

I also really don't see how a court can rule in favour of ICASA and SAPO at this point, when SAPO have clearly failed at their mandate entirely and do not even meet the basic requirements of their license every year.
 
system32 said:
Simple Options:
  1. Scrap the act - as it is unfair establishes a monopoly and dicriminates
  2. Keep the act and fine SAPO billions for not delivering parcels failing to providing service
  3. Stop SAPO bailouts as this is uisng taxpayer funds to compete with private companies
  4. Keep the act and license all courier companies as providers in terms of the Act
Personally I'm for (1) and (3)
Click to expand...

regardless of this.. there is this 23years of non-compliance.. i wonder how much that fine will be,

Shadowchaser1 said:
I think early 2000's there was an issue as well between SAPO & Postnet? I left SA 2003. What hasn't changed is that they just want it. Instead of saying, here we are and competing for it as well. Fair competition. But (There's always a but...) instead of doing so, they pull the same socialist, com crap, as always. Weird that the majority of the African continent, think that this is working. That's why SA will never be successful in the world as it's today.
Click to expand...

So now that you mention it, i do actually remember this.. though i thought it was wrt to them having/attempting to have postal boxes & delivering post. I didnt know it included parcels under x size or weight. It's interesting.. i wonder what happen to the case.

ToxicBunny said:
Given that the court date hasn't even been set yet, this will bubble under for a long while still.

I also really don't see how a court can rule in favour of ICASA and SAPO at this point, when SAPO have clearly failed at their mandate entirely and do not even meet the basic requirements of their license every year.
Click to expand...
You thinking about law very wrongly(reminds me of the court cases with covid).. the court won't decide if the law is justified or rational .. just if the interpretation is correct. i.e. sapo could be delivering post on a blind donkey for all the court cares. The angle of saying its denying right to freedom of expression is a gross overreach.

Lastly in the event the rationality is questioned.. only a fool can't see that the obvious defense will be that service levels go down when use is negated via illegal operators.. would this be an invalid conclusion? Well historic statements from sapo have actually said this for 2 decades..

Just saying.. this may be a case where asking for forgiveness post transgressing could end up costing more than they anticipate.
 
An order placed on 4 December 2020 (had reached Johannesburg by January 14th) arrived this morning. No notification from the P/O, I just happened to check (for the umteenth time). 6 months later.
 
Got something for free for attending a big IT vendor online conference in January. Took a full 5.5 months to get here and I collected it on Friday.
The SAPO is clearly gearing up to (fail to!) deliver on time.
 
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