Dept. of Communications and Digital Technologies, ICASA appear in parliament
The portfolio committee on Communications and Digital Technologies will be briefed by the Department and ICASA on the 2024/25 3rd and 4th Quarter Performance and Financial Report.
The SABC and Sentech will also brief on any amendments to the already considered 2025 - 2030 Strategic Plans and 2025 Annual Performance Plans.
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Takealot challenges Post Office's monopoly on small parcel deliveries
Takealot Group is challenging SAPO's exclusive rights to deliver parcels under 1 k. Image: File E-commerce retailer Takealot has filed "a notice of intention to amend the notice of motion" in the marathon legal battle by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) and SA Post Office (Sapo) to maintain a monopoly for Sapo in the delivery of sub-1 kilogram parcels. This comes as the pleading stage in the matter continues until mid-August, according to confirmation by the Acting Sapo CEO Fathima Gany and the Business Rescue Practitioners after an update to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies. The monopoly, as outlined in the Postal Services Act, has been challenged and was extended to April 1, 2025. This comes as the private sector capitalises on Sapo's inability to enforce the monopoly due to its ongoing financial difficulties. Gany told Parliament that there had been ongoing meetings with Takealot, which has now filed a notice of intention to amend its legal position in the sub-1 kg dispute. Sapo, supported by Icasa initially took PostNet and the South African Express Parcel Association (Saepa) to court in 2018. The objective was to uphold the law and prevent these private players from delivering small parcels. However, the private courier firms won that round, especially after larger operators like Takealot joined the legal battle. Joint Business Rescue Practitioner of Sapo Anoosh Rooplal told Business Report, "The Post Office currently still has the exclusive licence to deliver sub-1 kg parcels, but this is being encroached upon by the private sector. The case is still pending, and the regulator, Icasa, is currently at the pleading stage, which is scheduled to conclude on 14 August 2025, as per the latest request. The Post Office supports Icasa in this case and will ultimately benefit if their arguments to preserve the monopoly are upheld." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The case, led by Icasa as the regulator, is up against the courier sector, represented by Saepa, which is challenging Sapo's exclusive rights to deliver packages under 1 kg - a competitive advantage in the growing e-commerce and rural logistics markets. Sapo has acknowledged in its Corporate Plan to 2030 that it faces increasing competition from more agile and technologically advanced private courier services. Without a major overhaul of its digital capabilities, Sapo risks losing even more market share to these competitors, particularly in urban areas. "PostNet is our competition. It has our service offering. That is what a Sapo branch is - or should be. A futuristic Sapo branch is where you can walk in and get an array of services: internet café, access to Hotmail to look for jobs, anything that you want to do that you cannot do at home. You can walk in and collect our parcels. It's a central hub," Gany said. Meanwhile, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has indicated its intention to review Sapo's monopoly on certain postal services, including the delivery of parcels weighing less than 1 kg. According to Sapo, the South African Courier, Express, and Parcel market was valued at R48 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach R78bn by 2030. This growth is attributed largely to the e-commerce sector, which is expected to grow at an annual rate of between 10% and 15% over the next three years. BUSINESS REPORT
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Dept. of Communications and Digital Technologies, ICASA appear in parliament
The portfolio committee on Communications and Digital Technologies will be briefed by the Department and ICASA on the 2024/25 3rd and 4th Quarter Performance and Financial Report. The SABC and Sentech will also brief on any amendments to the already considered 2025 - 2030 Strategic Plans and 2025 Annual Performance Plans.
IOL News
5 days ago
- IOL News
Avian influenza: call for new trade agreement with Brazil on chicken imports
A call has been made for South Africa's Department of Agriculture to seek a new trade agreement with Brazil that would allow for the continuous import of safe chicken products despite outbreaks of avian influenza. Image: Supplied A call has been made for South Africa's Department of Agriculture to seek a new trade agreement with Brazil that would allow for the continuous import of safe chicken products despite outbreaks of avian influenza. This comes as a similar year-long trade arrangement was reached with the US by South Africa for chicken imports. The local food industry said such an agreement was needed with Brazil which is the country's biggest supplier of mechanically deboned meat (MDM). According to a letter released by the Department this week, the agreement empowers the US to manage its own internal export bans at the state level. This means chicken can continue to be exported to South Africa from unaffected states, while those experiencing bird flu outbreaks are temporarily excluded. Georg Southey, General Manager of Merlog Foods, one of South Africa's largest importers of chicken and chilled meats, welcomed the deal and said the same model should be replicated with 'all trusted global trading partners.' 'This is especially the case with Brazil, the largest supplier of mechanically deboned meat to South Africa,' Southey said. MDM is a key ingredient in many low-cost protein products such as viennas and polony. Around 95% of MDM used locally is imported from Brazil, where a recent outbreak of bird flu in a single state prompted South Africa to halt all poultry imports from the country. Southey warned that for every week of delay in resuming imports from Brazil, another 100 million animal-protein meals are lost. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Merlog Foods, which supplies protein products to local retailers and meat processors, has long advocated for a regionalised response to avian flu. The approach, endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health, allows countries to impose import bans only on the affected regions, rather than entire countries. 'Many countries which import chicken from Brazil have already implemented regionalisation processes to allow safe imports to continue. These countries include Japan, Mexico, Cuba and notably neighbouring Namibia,' Southey said. He said countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands, currently free of bird flu, would also have been able to resume exports to South Africa under a similar model. 'I am pleased the Department of Agriculture has taken a proactive step by formally requesting Brazil to provide technical information about its avian influenza outbreak in order to open access to critically needed MDM from most parts of the country unaffected by the disease,' said Southey. 'I have good reason to believe a regionalisation approach will be enacted as early as next week once Brazil provides relevant information to South African authorities.' Southey added: 'Merlog Foods trusts that when the Brazilian authorities provide the relevant information, the Department of Agriculture will act with speed to prevent a looming shortage of affordable protein needed by millions of people. THE MERCURY
