After many months, customers can now withdraw encouraging sums from their accounts in Douala.

A few months ago, most postal savings customers and in some cases salary workers have been going without a franc. This pathetic situation which has sometimes pushed customers on the streets, has spurred postal authorities to put in place certain pertinent measures. One of these measures, is the pasting of a security note which reads; "Dear customers, you most have noticed that the Postal Service is witnessing financial problems. We are inviting you not to panic. The Postal Service is the only financial institution with state guarantee. Other financial institutions can be bankrupt, but the Postal Service never. We are therefore inviting you to contribute to the normalisation of this situation by not carrying out regular and massive withdrawals". Since the publication of this text on February 23, 2004, things have gradually changed. In nearly all the postal services in Douala, inpatience, tension and panic have given way to calm and cordial working atmosphere. As early as 7.30 a.m everyday, the different postal services in the economic capital principally Akwa and Bonanjo are jam packed with customers wishing to withdraw either part or the totality of what they have saved for rainy days. An impossible task a few months ago where customers were not only disappointed when informed by the post office workers that there is no money or that they are not permitted to withdraw more than 10,000 or 15,000frs depending on what is in their account. Worse still, only one withdrawal could be carried out by a client within two weeks.

A situation that was far from comforting to many of the clients at the post office, especially Godwing Ngasam, a retired worker of a Douala based paper company whose children were sent home for not being able to pay the last instalment of their school fees and the landlord threatening to throw him out by the end of this month. The sixty-seven years-old-man looking visibly exhausted at the Bonanjo post office, had been calling and standing for more than three hours everyday waiting to be served 15,000 of the 250,000frs, requested since January. According to him, "My life belong to the post office. All what I have worked and saved is there. I don't know what to do". He lamented.

At the Akwa postal service, the same situation prevails with some clients who, a few months ago, were threatening to take the workers hostage gradually accepting the situation. However, a few others still believed the blame is on from the workers and not the government. They say, the government has given enough money to pay back customers and that it was at the level of the post office that the authorities are withholding the money because they wanted bribe. An assertion highly supported by Mr. Hasson James, who says in order to get 50,000frs from his saving account, he had to go into a deal with one of the post office workers. But for how long...?