Bluff Post Office closes permanently

THE Bluff Post Office is now permanently closed as of Tuesday, 11 June. Residents can expect to travel an extra two kilometers from the Bluff Towers, where the postal service was situated, to the Jacobs branch. According to communication specialist for corporate affairs, Nobuhle Njapha, the Bluff service is permanently discontinued with no future prospects of reopening.

“The Bluff Post Office has been amalgamated with the Jacobs Post Office, which is two km away at 190 Bluff Road. Rossburgh Post Office is also four km away with motor vehicle licensing services,” she said.

A writ of execution on the door states that an amount of R121 814.28 was to be realised by public auction, suggesting that the branch was in arrears to its landlord, however, Njapha refuted this. “The Post Office is in discussions with the property owners about his claim. All amounts owed to them have been paid.”

The SUN visited the branch and witnessed a number of residents walk up towards the door where the notice is served and leave frustrated. “I grew up in this area, I’ve been walking to this post office since my teen years. Now at my old age, I have to go to Jacobs for postal services. It’s a great inconvenience,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous.

While the merging of the Bluff and Jacobs branches may mean a longer trip to residents, those using postboxes can have peace of mind knowing that besides the move, nothing else will be affected, namely the receiving address and postbox number.

Ward 66 councillor, JP Prinsloo, said he first heard of the Bluff branch closure on social media. “It is unacceptable that a governmental institution closes its doors without proper notification to the community they are supposed to serve. This is an essential service being provided to the community and is unacceptable to expect people to travel long distances to access these services. This will be investigated to ensure that Bluff residents do not bear the brunt of governments failure to run this department effectively,” he said.

“The Post Office is continuously adjusting its branch network to accommodate customer behaviour as it evolves, and the amalgamation of branches as well as the opening of new branches is part of this strategy,” added Njapha.

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