Umhlali Post Office shines once more

The unprecedented community upliftment effort to spruce up the Umhlali Post Office has again shown what can be achieved by dedicated and persistent public teamwork.

Despite all the challenges KwaZulu-Natal has faced recently, a small team led by Ward 22 councillor Privi Makhan and Dolphin Coast Conservancy chairperson Di Jones has stayed the course.

This has led to a massive improvement at the post office site, somewhat restoring the building to its historically relevant stature.

With pot plants that date back more than 100 years and murals just less so, it is not hard to find the bare bones of what was once an impressive community focal point.

Restoring the beauty of the building was one of the main reasons for Makhan’s push for help.

“I was a letter writer as a child and my family had a box here. I have the most incredible memories of visiting this amazing post office and the kind residents who I met all those years ago. It is easy to forget the role that these service buildings play in our communities,” she said.

“The aesthetic upgrades make us proud to come to work, but the addition of a working aircon and shelving to alleviate the package build-up has made the world of difference in our ability to help the community,” said teller, Samantha Balwan.

With huge budget cuts across the country as the service becomes increasingly obsolete, the post office simply does not have the funds to maintain its buildings.

“I can tell you that this would never have happened without the support of the community. It speaks volumes of the North Coast spirit that this collaborative effort was able to come to fruition. We hope this will spur on other communities across the province and country to do the same,” said post office district manager, Vera Ngcobo.

The main changes implemented during the revamp were a complete outdoor overhaul overseen by Jones, while aircons, shelving, new fire doors, plumbing, lighting, fencing, gutters and a host of other materials were donated.

“After committing to help, I was faced with the true realisation of how much work had to be done. On a Monday in February, I made a call to a farmer friend of mine – who asked to receive no credit – to see if he had any advice on how to remove the concrete at the outside area. Without so much as a second though he jumped in to help and two of his staff, plus a TLB, arrived the next day. That’s when I knew we would be able to do this,” said Jones.

There are a few issues that remain at the Post Office, but plans are already in place to remedy them.

In the meantime, the public can report to the office to check for any outstanding parcels (more than a hundred parcels line the hallway waiting for collection).

The pair thanked all the sponsors and individuals who made the upgrade possible.

They include the Dolphin Coast Conservancy, Brett Moran, Brett du Toit, Barry Chapman, Louise Fletcher, Rockfields Umhlali, Kevin-D&D Gutters, Dolphin Coast Residents & Ratepayers Association, Deon Viljoen, Jean Broerse, Upton Farms, Johan Muller, Noels Naicker, Andrew Cox, Dolphin Coast Mini Skips, Jonathann Van Rensburg, Zack Chetty, Second Chance and Chris Elliot.

* This article has been updated to include the full list of sponsor names for which there was no space in the print version.

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