COMMUNICATIONS Minister Yunus Carrim has told the SA Post Office board to take decisive action against corrupt executives.

Carrim has also called for the speedy resolution of the pending disciplinary cases involving five group executives.

He is anxious to assess the deficiencies in the post office management.

"We expect the board to take decisive action if people are found guilty of corruption. Depending on the outcome of the cases, we will be able to say how challenged the management is," Carrim said.

He admitted to Sunday World that relations between the post office board and its executive have been strained, but said his department could not interfere in the organisation's day-to-day operations.

Carrim was responding to questions about the leadership crisis at the post office caused by a fallout between the organisation's chief executive, Chris Hlekane, and his executive team.

Hlekane has been accused of getting executives to investigate each other illegally with the aim of getting rid of them.

He has also been accused of subverting the authority of the board by taking key decisions without its approval and by failing to implement certain board resolutions.

Hlekane has denied these allegations.

Carrim has appointed a team to try to prevent the implosion of the organisation.

"[The post office] has a very important role to play. It is not as effective as it could be. But it is also not as bad as it is being made out to be. The joint task team will be expanded to include representatives of the Treasury," he said.

Carrim said he and his deputy, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, have met the board twice in the past seven weeks.

He said the department wanted to fill the four advertised vacancies on the post office board quickly, but "expertise and experience to strengthen the board" were prerequisites.

ncanan@sundayworld.co.za