We are constantly forced to pay for failing SOEs

One of the reasons private enterprise beats socialism of the state-imposed kind is that companies run for profit – as opposed to political reasons, nepotism or just to gouge hapless taxpayers – are efficient.

Nowhere is that contrast more stark than in South Africa, where private companies have taken over many of the functions of our crumbling state apparatus.

Consumers will vote with their wallets and, in the case of the SA Post Office (Sapo), they have been supporting its competitors for years. The reasons are obvious for anyone who still has to send anything via “snail mail” … a term which is particularly apposite when applied to Sapo.

Letters are delivered months late in some cases; parcels often don’t get to their destinations because their contents are liberated on the way and prices keep rising, while services at the post offices which do remain open is often surly.

That has meant that private courier services have stepped into the gap – and thrived as a result. Consumers can enjoy the peace of mind from knowing their letters and their parcels have a much better chance of being received on time and intact with private operators.

And now, billions of rands in debt without any noticeable increase in efficiency, Sapo wants to walk the Stalinist line and force all South Africans to send their small mail items – anything less than one kilogram in weight – through its system.

It is taking legal action to prosecute courier companies who accept such items …under a piece of legislation which is decades old and was set up to ensure Sapo was sheltered employment for then supporters of the National Party.

It is simply outrageous that we are being forced, yet again, to pay for the failures of a state-owned enterprise.

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