The Southern Africa Postal Operators Association games were revived this year after a shutdown due to Covid-19.
Launched in 2008, the objective of games is to create a fun environment through competing in various games and sports. It intends to foster a positive mindset among employees at different operational levels within the postal operators.
South African Post Office, Lesotho Post, Zimbabwe Post and Botswana Post participated in this year’s games in athletics, volleyball, netball and soccer.
The various participants have taken turns to host the event in the past and this year the South African Post Office hosted the event in Gezina, Pretoria.
Conducted from September 23 to 25 September, the event also provided a platform for sharing best practices, networking with peers, understanding and appreciating diverse cultures and promoting regional unity and collaboration. This year’s overall winner was Botswana. South Africa took gold in the men’s volleyball and women’s netball
Southern Africa Postal Operators Association Executive Director, Janras Kotsi mentioned that despite all the challenges, the postal industry must continue to transform to meet the demands of this massive sector. Hence this year’s theme was appropriately “Transforming the Post through sport”.
The games have grown significantly over the years, both in terms of the number of sports disciplines and the participation of countries.
The event created an opportunity for the South African Post Office to showcase its’ last-mile delivery services using motorbikes.
Joint Business Rescue Practitioner, Anoosh Rooplal, noted “The proof of concept of using motorbikes in the last mile of delivery intends to create efficient routing systems while using the correct mode of transport to speed up delivery times. Once the proof of concept has been successfully tested and reported on, motorbikes will be part of a broader plan, together with the use of vehicles and bicycles, where appropriate, to improve service delivery across the country”.
Kotsi concluded: “We look forward to participating in the event again next year in Botswana and hope that more of the member countries will join to share in the fun and also share ideas and create unity amongst the Southern African postal communities.”
Founded in 2001, the Southern Africa Postal Operators Association aims to promote the development, establishment and operation of efficient, affordable and accessible postal services that meet the diverse needs of customers while being economically and commercially sustainable for all its member countries.
The members include South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius and Eswatini.
Meanwhile, SA Post Office representatives Tina Ntsimane from HR, acting general manager operations Solly Gaybba, team leader Jacky Green and business rescue practitioner's spokesperson Louise Brugman said of the games: “The more we exercise, the more we prevent chronic diseases and remain mentally stable.”
Pretoria News