South Africa Department of Communications consults stakeholders on postal law

The Department of Communications is consulting stakeholders in the postal and related sectors to inform them about the drafting of the Postal Services Amendment Bill.

The road shows started last week in the Western Cape and are scheduled to end in mid-July.

Places visited so far are Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and North West.

Provinces still to be visited are Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng.

The department is utilising these engagements as information gathering sessions to allow stakeholders to submit comments that would help inform the Bill which would be tabled in Parliament later this year.

Spokesperson for the department, Albi Modise, said all the stakeholders consulted so far had expressed satisfaction with the new proposal to the postal bill.

“These will ensure that the market is properly regulated,” he said.

The proposed Bill seeks to provide for the substitution of the word “Regulator” with the word “Authority” wherever it appears in the Postal Services Act.

It also seeks to provide for the amendment of a number of definitions, to add new definitions, to delete and add a number of objects, and to make provision that income from reserved postal services may not subsidise other postal services.

It also seeks to provide new and clear definitions in areas such as courier services, value-added services and universal postal services.

With the convergence of a number of services in the sector, the Icasa Amendment Act has made provision for the relocation of the Postal Regulator from the Department of Communications to the telecommunications and broadcast regulator.

The current legislation allows the Regulator to be part of the Department of Communication, while the recently signed Icasa Amendment Act says the regulation of postal services must be the responsibility of Icasa.

The Postal Services Amendment Bill also seeks to amend and repeal certain sections of the principal act to align them with the Icasa Amendment Act.

The Amendment Bill also proposes the insertion of section 90 in the law after section 89, which deals with the Extra-Territorial Office of Exchange (ETOEs) that governs foreign players in the postal services area to ensure regulation by the Regulator.

In effect, any foreign operator will have to be issued with a licence or registration certificates prior to operating in the South African market.

The incorporation of this section will be aimed at ensuring that the local market is regulated in such a manner that the sector also fosters economic growth in the country, while protecting local players against unfair competition.

South Africa is a member country of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and this legislation will be developed in tandem with the guidelines and regulations of this international body.

UPU is a 190-member international organisation that sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail volumes and to improve the quality of service for customers. – BuaNews