THE South African Post Office (SAPO) announced that Christmas mail leaving South Africa will be delayed.
This, it said, was due to the international travel restrictions to and from South Africa following the identification of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus.
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SAPO’s spokesperson, Johan Kruger said the cargo space on aeroplanes is limited due to the cancellation of some international flights. He estimated that the mail leaving South Africa may be delayed by up to 14 days.
“Only surface mail is currently available to the United States of America. The Post Office expects that the air mail option will again become available in January,” said Kruger.
Mail to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini and Mozambique has not been affected. Items posted from South Africa by 5 December 2021 to these countries should reach their destination before Christmas.
The SA Post Office advised customers who are sending items to foreign countries to do so as soon as possible.
“Customers should package international items securely as mail is transported in bulk, and to include the mobile phone number of the recipient with the address details,” added Kruger.
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