The South African Post Office's (Sapo) board has resigned with immediate effect, Telecommunications and Postal Minister Siyabonga Cwele said on Friday.

The board volunteered to resign to allow Cwele to implement an intervention aimed at resolving issues at Sapo following a violent, unprotected four-month-long strike, the ministry said in a statement.

Their resignations were accepted.

"This intervention forms part of a suite of targeted activities government is implementing to help troubled state-owned companies to deliver the services they are mandated to," Cwele said in the statement.

He and Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene would work on the clean-up operations at the Sapo.

They appointed former Rand Water CEO Simo Lushaba to lead a team to restore order. The team had three months to turn things around and ensure workers reported for duty.

It had to assess management capacity and fill all vacant positions, prevent further financial losses and develop a business case to underpin Treasury support, resolve leadership instability, and finalise the cases against the suspended CEO and other executives.

Lushaba's team had to meet clients to discuss their needs and restore public and business confidence in the post office.

"The unprotected and violent strike at the post office has caused a lot of harm to many citizens, long-distance students, businesses – especially the small and medium-sized ones – the diplomatic community and most of all the workers of the post office and the company itself," Cwele said.