EFF STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE RETRENCHMENT OF 4 700 SOUTH AFRICAN POST OFFICE WORKERS
Thursday, 04 April 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemns the callous retrenchment of 4,700 workers at the South African Post Office (SAPO). This heartless decision, driven by the Business Rescue Practitioners, is a grave injustice to the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking individuals who have dedicated their lives to serving the public.
The fact that nearly 42% of the existing SAPO workforce is being targeted for retrenchment is a stark indictment of the current govemment's failure to protect workers' rights and uphold their dignity. Despite receiving a substantial bailout of R2.4 billion last year - bringing the total to R10.3 billion between 2016 and 2024 - SAPO continues to languish in financial turmoil, with retrenchment payments contingent upon securing an additional R3.8 billion bailout.
It is also deeply troubling to witness the closure of 235 post offices across the country, disproportionately affecting regions such as the Free State, North West, North Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga. These closures not only deprive communities of essential postal and banking services but also exacerbate the unemployment crisis gripping our nation.
The EFF denounces the ANC govemment's negligence in running SAPO into the ground, as it has done with all state-owned enterprises, and its disregard for the welfare of postal workers This serves as yet another damning indictment of the ANC government's failure to address the unemployment crisis plaguing our nation. It showcases the ANC's glaring lack of capacity and political will to create meaningful employment opportunities, instead exacerbating the jobs bloodbath within institutions under its control.
As the incoming government, the EFF proposes bold and decisive actions to rebuild SAPO and revitalise its operations. Firstly, we will prioritise the immediate scrapping of all debts burdening SAPO, providing the entity with a clean slate to embark on its journey to recovery. Additionally, we are committed to spearheading the modemisation of SAPO, facilitating its transition towards digitisation to ensure it remains competitive in the rapidly evolving postal landscape.
Furthermore, under an EFF govemment, the Postbank will be empowered to fulfil its developmental mandate, ensuring that the most marginalised, including the poorest of the poor, have access to affordable financial services. These initiatives are outlined in our manifesto and represent the EFF's commitment to capacitating all state entities to be the centre of the development of our nation.
In light of the continued betrayals of the ANC and their inability to effectively run institutions such as SAPO, we call upon all South Africans to make it to the polls on the 29. of May to vote for the EFF, an organisation that has an effective plan for the future of all state-owned enterprises.
Statement issued by the EFF, 4 April 2024
