DURBAN - The SA Post Office (Sapo) has announced that the Hyper by the Sea post office in Durban will soon reopen following successful negotiations to extend the lease on the premises.
This follows the announcement two weeks ago that the branch would be closing its doors for good.
The news that the branch would reopen in a few days comes after Durban residents were up in arms over the closure of the popular branch, which does vehicle licence renewals.
Durban North ward councillor Shontel de Boer said she had received hundreds of complaints on Facebook, WhatsApp and on email, with many people calling about the closure.
The Mercury’s sister publication The Independent on Saturday, reported at the weekend that people were queuing from midnight and sleeping in their cars to renew their motor vehicle licences.
It reported the closure of branches offering motor licensing services was putting severe pressure on the public.
Sapo spokesperson Johan Kruger said the lease had expired on November 30, 2021 and the landlord had initially indicated that the premises was reserved for a new tenant.
However Sapo had successful negotiations to extend the lease on the premises.
He said the post office would be able to offer the car licence renewal facility by the end of the week.
He added that other postal transactions would follow.
“All other aspects of the service at the Hyper by the Sea post office will remain as they were before the end of November 2021,” said Kruger.
Post boxes, for example, will remain at the Hyper by the Sea branch, he added.
“The SA Post Office would like to thank its clients for their understanding and support, and would like to apologise for the temporary inconvenience when the Hyper by the Sea branch was closed,” said Kruger.
THE MERCURY