The South African Post Office (SAPO) now wants courier companies fined for delivering small parcels – and it wants to keep the money.
SAPO has asked the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to take action against couriers that deliver packages weighing less than one kilogram.
It says this violates the rules which give the Post Office exclusive rights to handle small parcels.
SA Post Office still coming after couriers
According to Mybroadband, SAPO’s Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs), Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons, said the Post Office believes Icasa should impose penalties and “ringfence” the funds for SAPO’s use.
The dispute goes back several years and involves big names in the courier industry, including Takealot, PostNet, and the South African Express Parcels Association.
SAPO first complained to Icasa in 2018, arguing that private couriers were ignoring its legal monopoly under the Postal Services Act of 1998, which gave it exclusive rights to deliver parcels of 1kg or less.
Icasa ruled in SAPO’s favour in 2019, ordering PostNet to stop handling small parcels within 90 days. PostNet challenged the decision, and Takealot and others later joined the case.
According to the BRPs, SAPO filed new court papers in August 2025, and the other parties now have until December 2025 to file their arguments.
“The matter is still ongoing,” the BRPs said.
The outcome will decide whether SAPO keeps its monopoly on light parcel deliveries, or if couriers can continue offering those services.
