Post Office's Central Sorting Office a White Elephant

THE multi-million dollar Posts and Telecommunications Central Sorting Office
complex in Harare is operating at only 40% of its capacity with most of the
infrastructure designed for other busi- nesses lying idle. A highly-placed source at the PTC said the complex, which was designed in such a way that many other business activities, including banks, could operate within it, is only undertaking its basic function of mail sorting and despatching and Express Mail Services. A few offices have been let out. “This complex has become a white elephant,” the source said. “There are a lot of big rooms which on construction were expected to host seminars and conferences, but that is not happening. “There are also several banking halls but no bank has taken them up, which I think can be attributed to the location of the complex and the absence of marketing on the side of PTC,” he said. The source also said the unbundling of the PTC meant other divisions had not followed the Post Office to the site. “There are no clients for the banking division or the Net*One division, so their space remains unoccupied,” he said. He said that the unbundling of the PTC meant these divisions were now making their decisions on a business basis, unlike in the past when they were forced to occupy an area for the sake of services. Contacted for comment, Zimpost acting commercial manager Misheck Ugaro said he was satisfied with the business taking place at the complex. The place is performing its basic function, which is mail sorting and there are also other offices which we are letting to other businesses. The facilities which are idle are for the pension fund who are the owners of the complex,” he said. We are mere tenants in the complex and what the other facilities will be used for, the fund should be in a position to answer,” Ugaro added. PTC Pension Fund principal officer/director Robert Ganye acknow- ledged the property was owned by the fund but said it was wholly leased to Zimpost. We
have wholly leased the property to Zimpost and they are the people who can
decide whether they want to sublet,” Ganye said. The concept of whether the leasing company is fully utilising the property is not our business for as long as they are in a position to pay the agreed rentals.” Ganye confirmed a lot of facilities were not being used in the complex. He attributed the under-utilisation to the unbundling of the PTC which had left Zimpost as the only business in the complex. Sources at the PTC said more than three banks could be accommodated in the facilities which were lying idle. Zimbank and DHL were reportedly among the companies which had shown an interest in occupying the building. One explanation for the reluctance of companies to move on-site could be the quarry blasting in the area which threatened the foundations of the building and electrical circuitry.
By Augustine Mukaro Copyright Zimbabwe Independent.
Distributed by All Africa Global