27 March 2020
Dear valued Customer,
In these unprecedented extraordinary times we face, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are required to implement extraordinary and unprecedented measures in our country.
There have been mixed reports in the media and among the general public, about the operations of the courier industry during the 21-day lockdown period. We would now like to officially confirm the following to all our customers. We are pleased to announce that our application to the Department of Trade and Industry to be classified as an “essential services provider” has been granted.
Aramex South Africa has been issued with a certificate of operation from the Companies & Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) stating that we may provide delivery of essential goods to customers during the lockdown period commencing on 27th of March until 17th April 2020.
This means that Aramex South Africa may continue to operate at limited capacity over the next three weeks and continue to deliver vital medical and other essential goods to customers nation-wide. These essential items will be limited to the following:
Acceptable “ESSENTIAL ITEMS”
MEDICAL:
Medical and hospital supplies, equipment and personal protective equipment.
Packaging and ancillary products used in the production of any of the above.
CLEANING & HYGIENE PRODUCTS:
Toilet paper, sanitary pads, sanitary tampons, condoms.
Hand sanitiser, disinfectants, soap, household cleaning products and personal protective equipment.
FOOD:
Any non-perishable food product, including non-alcoholic beverages.
Animal food, packaging and ancillary products used in the production of any food product.
All shipments collected from customers who are operating as essential services providers during this time will be extensively screened to determine that the goods are indeed considered “essential”. It is of critical importance that we enforce this on all customers to ensure we comply with the rules and regulations as set out by Government under the Disaster Act of South Africa.
During this lockdown period we would also like to inform customers that some transit times may be affected and that turn around times on deliveries may be slightly slower than usual. We are operating at a much lower capacity, and with the cancellation of flights within South Africa, and around the world our services may be affected. We will give the highest priority to all shipments and we will ensure we do our part to get your shipment there on time. In the case of urgent shipments, we recommend that you contact your nearest Aramex office to alert us of the urgency. All our customer service teams around the country has been working in limited numbers at our offices or have been supplied with the necessary tools to work remotely from their homes. You may experience longer than usual holding times, but we are working very hard to minimise the impact to you.
Our couriers, and other staff that are required to report to our offices has been given the necessary letters of authorisation and permits to allow them to travel, to and from work and on delivery routes. We are always applying the highest levels of safety and security, and all offices are equipped with the necessary hygiene products to sustain this.
We remind all customers about the “no contact” delivery measures we implemented on the 16th of March 2020, and to ensure that you always keep a safe distance between you and the courier. It is our moral obligation as a country to ensure that we enforce these measures to keep each other safe.
Aramex South Africa takes the responsibility and opportunity to operate during this crisis situation very seriously and would like to stress the fact that we will be enforcing strict rules on staff and
customers when it comes to moving essential goods. We have a social responsibility to ensure we serve our fellow South Africans with vital products and we are equally passionate about aiding in the fight against the spread of this pandemic
We thank you for your continued support and understanding during these challenging times. Our focus
will always be, safety first.
Sincerely Yours,
George Van Der Merwe
Country Manager (MD)
Aramex South Africa (PTY) LTD
