Leonard Neill COURIER COMPANIES will be required to register with the post office from the beginning of next year, but the registration fee will be R500 and not the previously suggested R15 000. “The industry can now operate without having to lay out heavy registration fees and, at the same time, is protected from unscrupulous operators who try to muscle in without abiding by the regulations. The approved registration fee will also mean that newcomers, especially small operators, can move into the industry,” postal regulator Mikie Kutta told FTW. “Non-registered operators will face a fine of R100 000 in terms of section 80 of the Postal Services Act.” At present the maximum fine is R20 000. “Feedback from the industry revealed general agreement on the new registration figure and the higher fine. New regulations also provide the maximum payout for an insured registered article at R5000, which is an increase from the existing R2000. Maximum payout of R20 for an ordinary parcel is unaffected. These figures, said Kutta, had been agreed upon in consultation with industry leaders.
