Implications of Performance Management System on Service Delivery in the South African Post Office: A Case of the North East Region

Abstract

This article argues that mail volumes and drop-in profit margins is becoming a challenge in the world and the South African Post Office in particular. In South Africa, statistics conclusively shows that the postal service is continuously operating at a loss and in 2014 it operated on an overdraft of R250 Million and has recorded a net loss of more than R361 Million. For the South African Post Office to survive this state of paralysis, it must develop strategies which will ameliorate this downward trend and one strategy to be employed is effective implementation of Performance Management System. This paper is therefore based on the study that was conducted in the South African Post office, North East Region. The primary objective of the study was to determine the implications of Performance Management System on the service delivery in the South African Post Office, North East region. The study was to culminate in recommending measures which can be adopted to improve service delivery and deal with declining profit margins trajectory from the public administration point of view. The research method employed in the study was of both qualitative and quantitative approach. In this article, the majority of the respondents strongly disagreed that employees were rewarded for good performance. The study recommends that SAPO should create stakeholder engagement forums wherein the relevant critical performance issues can be discussed. This paper concludes by providing specific suggestions towards improving Performance Management System in the South African Post Office, in the North East Region.