DESPITE the Post Office,
this edition of TNW will be in
the hands of many readers
36 hours after it has been
printed.
Using a combination of new
delivery methods, including
local and national couriers,
the circulations department
of TNW has worked around
the clock to break our
dependence on the Post
Office for deliveries.
Earlier this week, we cleared
almost all the backlog of
copies that were retrieved
from the Post Office. This
week, 2 000 of our readers
will see the latest edition of
TNW sooner than they ever
would have before, even when
the Post Office functioned in
its prime. Most of our other 4
500 readers will also see the
issue earlier than usual.
The Postal Services Act
gives the Post Office a
monopoly on the delivery
of post. Militant workers
have tried to stop Post
Office customers from using
private delivery methods
but as a newspaper TNW is
exempted from the Post Office
monopoly.
This would also apply to
any inserts or brochures that
suppliers want to distribute
to the trade, piggybacking on
TNW’s new delivery system.
TNW’s parent company, Now
Media, has led the way in
exploring a class action suit
by users against the Post
Office. Meanwhile, Now Media
is driving a formal complaint
to Icasa, the regulator for the
South African communications
sector, with a view to having
the Post Office’s licence to
operate rescinded.
TNW has had a team of
people converting postal
addresses to street
addresses. Although the bulk
of the work has been done,
there are still some areas
where we need to get the
physical address of those in
remote areas not served by
the courier services we use.
These readers may have to
wait for postal services to
resume. ”
