Estcourt Post office is in a pitiful state
The state of the post office has come under fire from locals
A visit to Estcourt post office is not a pleasant one and has not been for many years. This view is shared by residents who have watched the entrance area and post box section deteriorate over the years to the point where some residents will not go there anymore.It is common knowledge that the large gap in the palisade fencing around the post office is being used by homeless people to gain trouble-free entry at night.
Ronald Harilal recently had a long visit to the post office and decided to enquire about the poor state of affairs.
“I could not accept what I saw and after some questions, I discovered that so-called ‘paras’ are sleeping there at night and have already made the place their home. They search the bins after the local businesses have gotten rid of their waste and they choose this venue as their ‘restaurant’. This is also their public toilet,” he explained.
These sentiments are echoed by a Forderville resident who was left visibly disgusted after a recent visit to the post office.
“The place is an absolute mess! You can’t even go to your own post box because there is human waste and rubbish. No one wants to walk in this. This is a public space and I believe it should be kept clean and accessible to the community. It’s time that the post office did something to improve its image,” commented the resident.
Harilal agrees that finding a sustainable solution is vital.
“Our municipal offices must urgently intervene before this reaches parliament. Currently, parliament is very focused on the correct running of the municipal offices from financial to various overall management and control. I will have to do something about this and forward the invoice to parliament, should local authorities not do anything,” he commented.
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These concerns were relayed to the SA Post Office Communications Division, that promptly responded. Johan Kruger concurred that post office property is being used as what he termed ‘a dumping ground’.
“The local post office employees clean the area around the post office daily, but unfortunately passersby use the area as a dumping ground throughout the day,” he commented.
When asked about a long-term solution to curb the unwanted activities at the post office, he said that finances could cause a delay.
“The post office is considering fencing the area off so that the area around the building is less accessible. At this time, that is not possible owing to the post office’s financial situation, but it will be done immediately when it becomes possible,” Kruger said.
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