The Post Office is now R256 million behind on rent, and landlords are sending in the sheriff

The headquarters of the SA Post Office (SAPO) in the Eastern Cape, which runs about 150 branches, has come to a standstill after the Sheriff of the Court seized assets due to unpaid rent.

The ailing state-owned entity is unable to pay rent to landlords for buildings housing several of its branches, with the national debt now standing at R256 million for 571 sites countrywide. 

Of the 759 buildings that SAPO rents for operating branches or satellite offices across the country, the rent for only 188 buildings is up to date.