South African Post appoints new boss
South African Post Office has appointed a woman to steady the ship. Her appointment was announced at the first of the organisation’s board discussions on the theme “Transforming a public entity in the 21st Century”.
Motshoanetsi Lefoka took over as acting chief executive officer in May when Khutso Mampeule was ousted by the board of the postal entity.
It suspended and eventually fired Mampeule in May this year after he laid charges against his predecessor, Maanda Manyatshe, accusing him and other SA Post Office executives of having received R100-million in undeclared payments.
Manyatshe is involved in a R200- million defamation lawsuit against the post office. He claims he was forced to resign his position as MTN managing director as a result of the accusations levelled at him by the SA Post Office board.
Lefoka said: “We have had a tough year and it has brought to light a number of legal liabilities. It has also revealed opportunities for growth.
“It has been a steep learning curve, but I feel that my involvement in the business will allow me to understand the challenges that we face and create universally competitive services,” Lefoka said.
Mfanafuthi Sithebe, a spokesman for the Communication Workers’ Union, which is represented on the board by two members, said: “We are happy that someone has been appointed to be held accountable for governance at the post office.
“At this stage we cannot comment on the character of the individual. We are only concerned about the welfare of the institution, workers and the public.
“All that we can say is that we remain firmly against any form of privatisation, outsourcing or corruption,” Sithebe said.
Theft at the postal service remains a problem and Lefoka said she would work to improve vigilance and security during her tenure.
She said: “The issue of service excellence has been high on our priorities and we hope the issues we have been dealing with this year don’t come back to haunt us.
“The post office will not be the same as you see it this time next year. With the assistance of the board, we will build an organisation that South Africans can be proud of,” Lefoka said.
The SA Post Office has begun showing a profit only in the past four years It is planning to relinquish its government subsidy and become self-sustaining.
1 USD = 6.83323 ZAR
