CHANTELLE BENJAMIN  

THE South African Post Office yesterday confirmed that one of its executives was facing disciplinary action and that cases relating to its move to offices in Centurion had been "reported to the police for criminal investigation".

This is the first such admission from the Post Office despite months of complaints from its largest recognised trade union, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the as yet unrecognised South African Postal Workers Union, which led to the launch of an internal forensic investigation.

The CWU yesterday threatened mass action if Post Office CEO Motshoanetsi Lefoka, chief operating officer John Wentzel and group executive strategy head Marikie Lancaster were not suspended pending the outcome of the probe.

The union, which alleges the move to a new building was costly and fraudulent, said yesterday at a press conference in Johannesburg that it had documents in its possession which raised questions about the Post Office’s rental of buildings in Centurion and Bloemfontein which it planned to discuss with the public protector’s office at a meeting on Tuesday.

It also accused the Post Office of ignoring its complaints, first lodged in March last year, and waiting until it took the matter to the chairman of the board in March this year to instigate an investigation. The Post Office denied this saying a review was commissioned last May.

The CWU is objecting to rent being paid at the Eco Park building in Centurion, 10 months before staff moved in and five months before staff moved into offices in Langenhoven Park, Bloemfontein.

It is not clear how much rent is being paid monthly for the Centurion building — with estimates ranging between R2,3m and R3,9m — while the rent of buildings in Bloemfontein is R1m a month, the union said.

"It’s clear this transaction was concocted to enrich some senior officials in the Post Office. The decision to move out of buildings they owned, many of which are now standing empty, to two new buildings they are renting, did not make economic or social sense. There has to be some underlying benefit for someone," CWU general secretary Gallant Roberts said.