Your cheque is in the ...

IF ROSEY Sekese drank whiskey, she would be knocking it back neat.

IF ROSEY Sekese drank whiskey, she would be knocking it back neat.

Sekese, director-general in the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, was sent to brief a parliamentary committee this week on R2.1-billion in irregular spending by the Post Office.

The department said it dealt daily with the Post Office's many problems, which ranged from finances (it has still not submitted its annual report to parliament) and ongoing investigations by the Special Investigating Unit and public protector to a violent, unprotected strike derailing service.

And while the department explained that the billions in irregular expenditure were actually in the period 2011 to 2013 and not 2013-14 as stated in the media, it still got a grilling from the select committee.

Expired contracts still in use, contracts without fixed terms and stock items procured without contracts form part of the R2.1-billion.

The department said irregular spending had been substantially minimised to about R200-million in the past year, but the figures remain unaudited. The Post Office has not held its AGM amid attempts to "stabilise" the organisation.

Post Office public affairs GM Andrew Ngogo said salaries were paid a day late last month as the strike, going into its 11th week, hit revenue. Communication Workers Union members are demanding a 15% pay increase and for casual workers to be made permanent.

Ngogo said: "The financial position is dire. We are losing the public in general which means no money is coming in to pay the salaries.

"If we don't go to work, we won't get money in. If we don't get money in, what will happen on the 25th of this month or next month?"

Mail processing in Johannesburg, Polokwane and Bloemfontein continued to be affected this week. In Cape Town and other cities, mail processing has resumed, but these areas are still affected by problems in Gauteng.

The Post Office said no outlet staff were striking, but violence, intimidation and vandalism led to the closure of several branches for safety reasons.

Neren Rau of the South African Chamber of Commerce said the strike could have long-term consequences for the Post Office and its workers as it was pushing businesses towards electronic communication for invoicing and billing.

Rau said small and rural businesses were being hurt most.

"Small businesses are generally more vulnerable than large businesses, which have stronger cash flows."

Distance-learning university Unisa said many of its students were affected.

"We have been unable to receive correspondence such as assignments from our students," said spokesman Martin Ramotshela.

He said the university was using social media and SMS and media campaigns to inform students of online portals and the drop-off boxes. Couriers UTI and Skynet had been collecting assignments from students and delivering them to the university free of charge.

Attempts to contact the Communications Workers Union this week were unsuccessful.