A recent opinion piece about South Africa’s struggling postal service has gotten our fax machines all hot and bothered with some questionable comparisons.
Look, we get it – the South African Post Office (Sapo) is having a rough time. When your workforce drops from 23,000 to 10,000 faster than a misdialed fax number, something’s clearly amiss. But blaming communication technologies? That’s like blaming your pencil for writing a bad novel.
The article, responding to news of another Sapo bailout request, makes some fair points about management challenges. But then it wandered into our territory, and well… our fax machine had something to say about that.
Here’s the thing: Sapo’s six-year adventure in social grant distribution ended about as successfully as trying to fax a sandwich. The UK’s Royal Mail is also having a tough time, proving that postal services worldwide are facing more plot twists than a misdelivered love letter.
Private sector alternatives have indeed popped up faster than paper jams in a cheap fax machine (not that we’d know anything about those). From courier services to payment processing, there’s plenty of competition. But comparing different communication methods? That’s like comparing apples and oranges – if the oranges could transmit documents internationally in seconds.
The real story here isn’t about which technology is better – it’s about how South Africa can deliver public services without requiring another bailout bigger than a roll of thermal paper. Sapo’s situation raises important questions, like how to maintain essential services while managing costs, and whether anyone actually enjoys standing in those queues.
Let’s keep the focus where it belongs: on public service delivery, employment, and government spending. These are complex issues that deserve serious discussion – without dragging perfectly good communication technologies into the debate.
After all, each communication method has its place in modern society. Just ask Northern Rail in the UK – their fax machines are still happily humming along, thank you very much. The question isn’t about which technology is more useful – it’s about how South Africa can best serve its citizens while keeping the lights on and the mail moving.
And hey, at least fax machines never asked for a billion-rand bailout.
