Chronicle Editor
Zimbabwe’s postal and courier services sector is on the verge of collapse after experiencing a massive decline in volumes handled in the past year, due mainly to the growing use of e-commerce in the economy.
In the third quarter of the year, for instance, volumes dropped 25 percent to 1,002 million articles compared to the second quarter as e-commerce takes root in the country.
All categories from domestic postal letters, domestic courier to international incoming and outgoing parcels registered a decline in volume in the third quarter.
The sector’s regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) says this is because of the growing substitution of most of the services by electronic means, from letters to physical shopping.
“Postal and courier volumes have been consistently declining over the past year. The decline in postal volumes, in particular domestic, is attributable to e-substitution,” it said.
— New Ziana.
Online Reporter