An agreement between the SA Post Office and Mail Americas will give online traders much better access into all of Southern Africa, including rural areas.  To individuals who buy items online, it means greater choice, lower delivery charges and faster, simpler deliveries and customs clearances.

The agreement comes into effect on 1 June 2021.

Mail America is an eCommerce platform which specialises in providing cross-border business-to-customer solutions to postal operators.  It focuses on connecting businesses with customers in Latin America and Africa.

In terms of the agreement, the South African Post Office will provide distribution services to clients of Mail Americas in South Africa and the subcontinent. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a shift towards eCommerce in Southern Africa and with 1500 branches all over South Africa, the SA Post Office is in the right position to give all South Africans access to eCommerce, including those outside cities. 

South Africa is the regional port of entry for air freight imports, and the SA Post Office – with its sorting centre at OR Tambo Airport – serves as point of entry for mail into the subcontinent.

These factors make the SA Post Office the logical choice as partner for Mail Americas.

Clearing the backlog

Several consignments of parcels from Wish.com, the international online trader, have arrived in South Africa since the agreement between the two companies came into effect.  The parcels in the first consignment have been collected by customers, and the Post Office urges customers who receive an SMS requesting collection to collect their parcel from their local branch.

“We want to deliver the kind of service our customers deserve,” says Post Office CEO Nomkhita Mona.  “In fact, our focus is now shifting towards an obsession with the customer.”

The emphasis on customer service is part of a drive by the Post Office to ensure that customers receive parcels in the system as quickly as possible.  Destination post offices and sorting centres are now clear of any backlog, and work is well advanced to achieve the same situation at sorting centres where items arrive. 

The Post Office is so serious to achieve this that operational managers volunteered to work over a weekend on sorting floors, processing incoming parcels. 

On Sunday 30 May, branch managers and postmen in the Tembisa area worked voluntarily to process a consignment of study material from a major client.

Customers should soon see a difference in the delivery timeframe for the one million items that the Post Office delivers daily.

Source: Government of South Africa