SA Post Office: After 16 years, my parcels are yet to be delivered…

In 2005, I mailed two parcels to South Africa – both birthday gifts – one for my mom and the other for a friend’s teen daughter.

I know they left Ireland, but after that? Well, I’m waiting for them to arrive.

If they ever find my parcels, perhaps my friend’s daughter’s daughter will fit into the gorgeous stilettos I sent 16 years ago.

However, my mom’s chocolates have probably gone off.

Is this then the 11% of post that goes undelivered, or rather is delivered “out of standard” as the Post Office so cutely told parliament last week? And what is “standard” anyway?

Officially, post within a South African city should get there in two working days; three days to cities in the same province; and four to cities across provincial boundaries – stop laughing, I’m not finished – while international airmail should arrive in 10 days.

This excludes the day of posting, which presumably explains why the magazine subscription I used to get arrived upwards of a month later.

“Ordinary domestic mail,” they reiterate, “takes three to five working days to reach the destination post office.” Ah yes.

Perhaps not to reach your postbox. And how much post goes missing? That’s hard to quantify unless things are sent registered – tellingly, their parcel insurance service has apparently been suspended.

I used to post Christmas cards to SA. Sometimes they’d arrive on time, sometimes in January, sometimes they’d turn up by the following Christmas, and sometimes they’d disappear altogether. I gave up. I think we all did.

However, this last week I needed to mail a 13th birthday card and a bereavement card to SA, so I sent them together by courier, and awkwardly asked the birthday girl to drop off the sympathy card.

Yes, the package may get waylaid in customs. Yes, the recipient may be charged some exorbitant duty – quite possibly by somebody in customs wearing a rather dated pair of high heels – but that’s a complaint for another day.

It’s little wonder the post office is running at a bazillion rand loss. I don’t believe a public service should be profit-making, but I do believe it should work. It isn’t.

Statistically things are improving, yet still a one-in-10 chance of your item not arriving remains a risk most cannot – will not – take.

Jennie Ridyard.