Residents of Centane in the Eastern Cape, who are reliant on the local Post Office for postal and financial services, are again crying foul. They say the government neglects their needs by failing to address the issues plaguing this Post Office.
A year ago, the SABC reported that the electricity supply to the Post Office was cut due to non-payment. Now, it has been without an electricity supply again since December last year.
Services, including South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) payments, have been disrupted, forcing residents to travel to Butterworth.
Residents of Centane have been vocal about their plight related to their Post Office for years. It services more than 45 villages in the surrounding area. For many, travelling to Butterworth is not a viable option.
Traditional leader Chief Malibongwe Phikisa says, “People come here for their SASSA payments and they are told to go to Butterworth. It’s R55 from these villages to town, where are they supposed to get money to go there? Some end up going home without getting paid. This place must be cared for, electricity must be restored, grass must be cut and fencing installed.”
Resident Yandisa Dukani says, “Elders are in danger of being mugged here as you can see this is a forest and there is no other Post Office in this town. We want these people to have security while using this Post Office; we want it to be fenced.”
Grant beneficiary Ntombekhaya Tyhalibhongo says, “We don’t get all our money in these shops and it’s always overcrowded with long queues. We used to get all of our money here and we were not told some is left for bank charges. We are suffering going from shop to shop without being assisted. We are here for the second time now.”
South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) Regional Secretary Mvuseleli Tonisi says, “This Post Office cannot be closed because it services over 46 villages so there is a large number of people who need these services. If someone uses R55 for transport to come here and they need to use R55 more to go to Butterworth. How are they supposed to afford that?”
The South African Post Office says the Centane branch is only doing non-financial transactions and cash pay points. It has advised customers to use the Butterworth branch for all other services.
The struggling parastatal has closed 313 branches since the 2020/2021 financial year, of which 24 were in the last 10 months.
Concerns over continued deterioration of Centane Post Office
