Going Postal, Part 2

Today I phoned the Johannesburg Foreign Parcel Distribution Centre again. They told me I needed to phone SARS (South African Revenue Service). I asked what on earth SARS has to do with my daughter's birthday present, but they just said I must phone. So I phoned SARS, who told me I must phone Customs. I phoned Customs, who told me I must phone the Post Office. This went around and around until I had made 26 phone calls and gotten... nowhere. Every single person I spoke to gave me a different phone number to call.

I ended up going back to the post office and speaking to the manager there, who phoned the Johannesburg Foreign Parcel Distribution Centre (again), and handed the phone to me. This particular woman said that SARS has to charge 60% duty fees on all foreign parcels (yeah, right) but if the post office would just send the parcel back for reassessment, they would reduce the fee to R25.

And while all of this was going on, my car was stolen. And that took three phone calls to the police before they would come take a report. I do not like today.

I still love you, South Africa. You drive me absolutely crazy, but I have a nagging suspicion that I would miss you terribly if you were gone. For the remainder of today, however, can you please leave me alone? I need some space.