Tariff increase for mail this year

If you are still sending mail‚ you will have to fork out more from April 1 this year.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) published the new tariffs and charges in the Government Gazette on Friday.

The price of a booklet of 10 stamps will increase from R39 to R42. The cost of a roll of 100 stamps will increase from R390 to R420.

Mailing small envelopes with a maximum size of 120mm by 235mm by 5mm and a weight of 50g increases from R3.90 to R4.20.

Insurance for letters with a value of up to R250 will increase from R19.10 to R20.55‚ those with a value of up to R500 from R39.10 to R42.10‚ up to R1‚000 from R78.60 to R84.65.

Intercepting or redirecting parcels will cost R32.60‚ up from R30.30.

Sending domestic parcels will cost R52.50 for the first kilogram and R7.05 for each additional kilogram. This up from R48.75 and R6.55.

Sending ordinary postcards will increase from R4.15 to R4.45.

Any item larger than 353mm by 250mm by 30mm and that weighs more than one kilogram is considered a parcel.

Tariffs for international mail differ according to the destination. All countries are divided into six zones. Zone A consists of the countries nearest to South Africa and includes Botswana‚ Comoros‚ Kenya‚ Namibia‚ Seychelles‚ Swaziland‚ Ascension and St. Helena. Zone F refers to the countries furthest from South Africa and includes Canada‚ Australia‚ China‚ Japan and New Zealand.

Official payment methods include stamps‚ remote meter-setting franking machine mail‚ postage-paid and postage-included envelopes.