Communications minister Solly Malatsi has dismissed as “untimely” a transfer by the South African Put up Workplace’s enterprise rescue practitioners to file for the liquidation of the embattled state-owned firm, saying ongoing discussions between his division and nationwide treasury are centered on discovering a method ahead.
In an announcement issued late Friday, Malatsi stated his workplace had obtained a letter from enterprise rescue practitioners Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons expressing their intention to file for the Put up Workplace’s liquidation.
“It’s my view that any speak of liquidation at this stage is untimely given the in depth ongoing conversations inside authorities, significantly between the division and nationwide treasury, relating to the prevailing scenario on the Put up Workplace,” Malatsi stated.
“These engagements are centered on discovering a method ahead that balances the urgency of the Put up Workplace’s scenario, the welfare of the workers and the accountable use of restricted public funds, in the very best pursuits of the nation.”
The transfer by the rescue practitioners has been lengthy anticipated. Below the Firms Act, enterprise rescue practitioners are obliged to file for liquidation if there is no such thing as a cheap prospect of rescuing an organization. The Put up Workplace has been in enterprise rescue — a type of chapter safety — since July 2023, and the method has been hampered by a failure by authorities to launch a R3.8-billion second tranche of funding wanted to finish the turnaround plan.
If liquidated, the Put up Workplace 5 500 remaining workers members will seemingly lose their jobs.
No funding
The rescue practitioners have repeatedly warned that with out the R3.8-billion, the enterprise rescue plan can’t be totally carried out. The funds have been earmarked for infrastructure upgrades, digitisation of the enterprise, working capital and the cost of excellent creditor obligations. An preliminary R2.4-billion tranche was launched in 2023 and was used to cowl retrenchment prices and stabilise operations.
Nationwide treasury has persistently refused to allocate the cash. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana excluded the bailout from each the 2024 and 2025 nationwide budgets, and the 2026 funds, delivered final month, once more made no direct provision for the Put up Workplace. Treasury has maintained that it’s not legally certain to supply the funding.
Learn: Why Solly Malatsi was proper to bury the Put up Workplace monopoly
The Put up Workplace has as a substitute been receiving annual allocations from the communications division for its common service obligations. These funds fall far quick of what’s wanted to finish the rescue.
Tensions between Malatsi and the rescue practitioners have simmered for months. In December 2025, Malatsi gazetted amendments eradicating the Put up Workplace’s unique proper to ship parcels weighing lower than 1kg — a monopoly the rescue practitioners stated their turnaround technique had relied upon for future income projections. Deputy communications minister Mondli Gungubele publicly distanced himself from the choice, telling parliament he had not been consulted.
There has additionally been friction inside the authorities of nationwide unity over the Put up Workplace’s future, with the DA showing extra inclined in the direction of privatisation and the ANC insisting on preserving jobs and continuity. A activity group had been exploring non-public sector partnership choices following a request for data issued in November that attracted greater than 100 proposals.
Learn: Malatsi buries Put up Workplace monopoly the market ignored
Malatsi’s assertion on Thursday suggests authorities shouldn’t be but able to let the Put up Workplace go, regardless of the rescue practitioners’ evaluation that the entity’s viability is not sustainable with out additional state funding. — (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
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