NATIONAL NEWS - The South African Post Office (SAPO) has launched a new stamp issue celebrating one of the most recognisable icons of traditional postal communication – the red post-box.

Titled “World Post Day: Love the Post-box”, the issue pays nostalgic tribute to an object that once played a central role in everyday communication and continues to evoke memories of handwritten letters and postcards sent to loved ones.

The stamps were launched at the National Stamp Show, hosted by the Philatelic Federation of South Africa at the Country Club Johannesburg in Woodmead.

The show remains open to the public until tomorrow at 18:00, after which judges will announce winners across several categories, including the best South African exhibit.

Celebrating the art of staying connected

Speaking at the launch, SAPO Acting CEO Fathima Gany said the stamp issue was intended to celebrate both the nostalgia surrounding traditional mail and the human connection it represents.

“The ‘Love the Post-Box’ stamp issue is playful and nostalgic, but it also carries a meaningful message about human connection,” Gany said.

“In an age of instant digital communication, people are once again appreciating handwritten letters and physical keepsakes, things that require thought, intention and care.”

Gany said the stamps also recognise South Africa’s postal heritage, including the country’s oldest surviving pillar post-box still in use.

“Technology and the way we communicate will continue to change, as must the Post Office, but the need for one person to reach another will always remain,” she said.

From pillar boxes to lamp post boxes

The Love the Post-box issue features artwork illustrated by Rachel-Mari Ackermann, formerly of SAPO’s Philatelic Services, and adapted for printing in South Africa by Thea Clemons, Senior Graphic Designer at the Post Office.

The issue highlights two distinctive types of post-boxes that have formed part of South Africa’s postal landscape.

One stamp features the oldest pillar post-box still in use in South Africa, located in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.

Dating back to the late 1850s, the post-box is widely regarded as the oldest surviving example still in use in the country and represents the long history of organised postal communication in South Africa.

Another stamp features the lamp post box, a smaller type traditionally attached to existing street infrastructure such as lamp posts and poles.

Dating back to the late 1850s, the post-box is widely regarded as the oldest surviving example still in use in the country and represents the long history of organised postal communication in South Africa.

These boxes helped bring posting facilities closer to communities, making postal services more accessible to people in their neighbourhoods.

Stamp show celebrates philately

The launch forms part of the National Stamp Show, which brings together philatelists and collectors to showcase a range of exhibits.

Clemons has also designed the new SA Post Office Trophy, which will be awarded to the best South African exhibit at the show.

The trophy will be presented tomorrow evening following the close of the exhibition at the Palmares, a black-tie event for philatelic enthusiasts at the Country Club Johannesburg.

SA Post Office Trophy-Best SA Exhibit.

Where to find the new stamps

The new issue consists of a self-adhesive booklet containing 10 Standard Postage stamps, accompanied by a Commemorative Display Card (CDC).

The stamps will be available at selected Post Office branches.

They can also be ordered directly from Philatelic Services by emailing [email protected] or calling +27 12 845 2801, +27 12 845 2815, +27 12 845 2904 or +27 12 845 2902.

While communication may have moved increasingly into the digital world, the new issue celebrates a reminder that the simple act of sending something tangible to another person can still carry meaning.

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