COLONIAL POST AND TELEGRAPH DIARY
OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
Taken from official sources and archival records
1501, July 7: In 1497 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama anchored in Mossel Bay and named it the “Bay of Herdsmen”. Four years later another Portuguese navigator, Joao da Nova, put into the bay and found that a message had been left for him, in an old shoe which had been left hanging from a tree, a White Milkwood, growing near the water springs. The letter was from Pedro d’Ataide, a captain in the fleet of Pedro Alvares Cabral, who had passed this way on 5 March 1501. Although this method of communication was never adopted, the tree has subsequently become known in local mythology as the “Post Office Tree”.
1527. The custom of leaving a flat rock upon the shore of Table Bay, inscribed with the names of the ship, its captain, and the dates of their visit, appears to have begun as early as 1527, when a French vessel left in Table Bay a slab of rock inscribed “Ity est arrive david digaed de Dieppe 8 10th de Fevrer 1”. Although they have subsequently become known as Post Office Stones, their primary function was to provide a record of the visit, and only some of them were used as postal markers
1591. The practice of leaving a packet of letters beneath an inscribed stone appears to have been well established by 1591, when Admiral George Raymond, accompanied by Captain James Lancaster, reached Table Bay and there, we are told, left behind flat stones inscribed with the names of their ship and its captain, and the dates of their arrival and departure.
1601, September 9: The British vessels “Dragon”, “Ascension”, “Gift” and “Susan”, homeward bound from Batavia, anchored in Table Bay. Hippon, Master of the “Susan”, left behind a batch of letters beneath a flat stone with the following inscription: “ANTO HIPON MA OF THE HECTOR BOVN HOME JANVARI 1600”.
1607, July 16: The British sailing vessel “Consent”, outward bound for Batavia, anchored in Table Bay, and, during her stay, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1607, December 17: The British vessels “Dragon” and “Hector”, homeward bound from Batavia, anchored in Table Bay. Hippon, now Master of the “Dragon”, left behind a batch of letters beneath the same Post Office Stone he had used some six years earlier. This time he added the following inscription to it: “ANT HIPON MA OF THE DRAGON 28 DECEMBER 1607”.
1610. Sir Henry Middleton, captain of the “Trade’s Increase”, landed in Table Bay and found a letter buried in the ground. Unfortunately it was so damaged by moisture as to be illegible.
1613, February 20. The British vessel “Dragon”, homeward bound from Batavia, anchored in Table Bay and left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone. On 28 June 1614 they were discovered by William Edwards, who made a report to this effect to his directors in London.
1613, October. A group of English merchants traveling to the Indies, arrived at Table Bay only to discover that their visit coincided with that of a Dutch ship. During the course of the subsequent interchange between the two groups, the Dutch handed them a packet of letters they had discovered on top of a nearby hill. Upon reading, these were found to originate from a previous English expedition headed by a Captain Downston. The packet was resealed and returned to its place beneath the stone slab.
1617, January 2: The British vessels “Dragon” and “Expedition”, homeward bound from Batavia, anchored in Table Bay and, during their stay, left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone. The slab, which had been especially brought out from England for this purpose, was approximately 120cm high, 75cm wide and 15cm deep, and was engraved with the British coat of arms.
1617, February 10: The Dutch sailing ships “Amsterdam” and “Groot Sonne”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and during their stay left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1618, June 20: The British vessels “Dragon” and “Lion”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and upon their departure, they left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone inscribed as follows: “NNO 1618 JO WDAL MAS O LN ARID THE 23 O DEPD FOR SVRRAT TH JVNE & DANIE WRHT GEORE PIKE MARCTS ISAC SEVENSON MR MATE ARV JVN E Ye O 3 I LYON 1620”.
1619, May 15: The British vessel “Anne”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and during her stay her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1619, November 29: The British vessel “Bull”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and during her stay her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone inscribed as follows: “RO ADAMS COM OF THE BVL ARIVED 29 OF NOVEM & DEP THE 12 OF DE 1619 FOR BANTAM JO COCKRAM CAPE MARCH LETTERS VNDER”.
1620, January 20: The British vessel “Rose”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and during her stay her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1620, February 2: The Dutch vessel “Goude Leeuw”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and during her stay her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1620, June 24: The British vessels “Roebuck”, “London”, “Hart” and “Eagle”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay, and during their stay left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone. The “Roebuck”, “London” and “Hart” returned on 1 February 1822 and probably left another stone.
1622, December 8: The British vessel “Lesser James”, homeward bound from Batavia, anchored in Table Bay and, upon her departure, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone inscribed as follows: “JOHN ROBERTS COMMAVNDER OF THE LESSER JAMES AR Y 8 DECEM DE Y 26 1622 LOVK WITH THIS LINE FOR LETERES”. This stone was added to a few days later by the crew of the “Abegail”, a British vessel outward bound, which anchored in Table Bay on 17 December 1622. Their inscription reads as follows: “HENRY MANCHES JAMES BVRGES M OF THE ABIGALL AR Y 17 DEPAR Y 26 OF DECEMBAR 1622”. The same stone was reused in 1627 by the crew of the “Hart”.
1623, March 10: The British vessel “London”, homeward bound from Surat, anchored in Table Bay on 10 March 1623. During her stay her crew left behind a Post Office Stone with the following inscription: “THE LONDON ARIVED THE 10 OF M HERE FROM SVRAT BOND FOR ENGLAND AND DEPAR THE 20 DICTO RICHARD BLYTH CAPTAINE 1622 HEARE VNDER LOOKE FOR LETTERS”. In 1629 the same stone was reused by Dutch sailors. It was discovered on 17 August 1827, during the course of repairs to a sewer on the Heerengracht, but for some reason it was reburied, and was only brought to light again in 1897.
1623, March 19: The Danish vessel “Christianshaven”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew buried a wooden casket containing the ship’s letters. They then marked the position with a wooden post giving the name of the ship.
1623, May 29: The British vessel “Hart”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1624, July 28: The British vessels “Royal James”, “Jonas”, “Star”, “Spy” and “Scout”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during their stay, left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1625. The British vessel “Star” anchored in Table Bay and, during its stay, the ship’s surgeon, Edward Wilson, left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone inscribed “Edwa.Wilson ship - Star 1625”.
1627, July 7: The British vessel “Hart”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew left behind a batch of letters, reusing the Post Office Stone originally engraved by the crew of the “Lesser James” on 8 December, and by the crew of the “Abegail” on 17 December 1622. Their inscription, which is largely illegible, reads partly as follows: “M R ARIVED LY DEPARTED DIT FOR SARAT 27”.
1628, May 29: The British vessel “William”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1629, September 3: The British vessel “Hopewell”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1631: The Khoikhoi chief Autshumato, known subsequently to foreign visitors variously as Hadah, Hada, Adda, Haddot and, after 1652, as Harry, was befriended by the British and taken by them to the Javanese port of Bantam. During the journey he gained a broad knowledge of English, and after his return to the Cape early in 1632, he and some thirty of his followers were transported, at their own request, to Robben Island. There he was employed by the British as an agent, liaising on their behalf with other Khoi groups on the mainland, and keeping mail in his possession until collected by the next ship. Consequently he must be regarded to be South Africa’s first resident postmaster. By 1638 records indicate that a second Khoikhoi, known as Isaac, had also learnt to speak English, and that sometime later he was taken by the Dutch to Batavia. He was returned to the bay in 1642, the Dutch no doubt intending to employ him as their own agent. He probably died in 1646. Autshumato and his people left Robben Island sometime in the early 1640s, and after 1652 he was installed by the Dutch as their chief translator. However on 19 October 1853, while the Dutch were attending church, Autshumato absconded with most of their cattle. Eventually the herd was captured by a rival Khoikhoi group, the Goringhaiqua, and in June 1655 Autshumato returned to the Dutch, managing to persuade them that the theft had been perpetuated by the Goringhaiqua, who now held the cattle. The Dutch believed him and reinstated him as their chief translator. Autshumato then proceeded to amass a large herd of cattle and sheep, largely at the expense of his employers. As a result, in June 1658, he was arrested and banished to Robben Island, while his herds were confiscated. In December 1659 he managed to return back to the mainland, escaping in a leaky rowboat, and went into exile among his own people, where he died in 1663.
1631, May 29: The British vessels “Palsgrave” and “London”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during their stay, left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1631, July 13: The British vessel “Discovery”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1632, cJanuary: Captain Weddell, probably of the British vessel “Charles”, anchored in Table Bay and, upon his departure, left behind on Robben Island a batch of letters in the keeping of the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato.
1632, April 3: The earliest recorded Post Office Stone inscribed in Dutch was left behind when the Dutch sailing ships “Nassau”, “Nimmegen”, “Wesel” and “Galyas”, homeward bound from Batavia, anchored in Table Bay. It bore the following inscription: “HIER ONDER LEGGEN BRIEVEN VAND COMAND DV LEE EN VICE COMD P.CROOCK MET DE SCHEPEN NASSAU FRE HENDRIK NIMMEGEN WESEL EN DE GALIAS. ALHIER DEN 9 APRIL 1632 VAN BATTAVIA GEARIVEERT VIR OCKEN DEN 15 DITTO”.
1632, May 15: British seamen from the vessel “Pearl” landed in Table Bay where they were met by the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato. He delivered to them a batch of letters which had been left in his safekeeping by the crew of the “London” some time previously.
1632, November 12: The British vessel “Blessing”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during her stay, her crew collected the mail which had been left by the “Charles” on Robben Island in the keeping of the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato, in about January 1632.
1634, April 7: The Dutch vessels “Wassenaer”, “Banda” and “Egmont”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, during their stay, they left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone inscribed as follows: “BANDA WASSENAER END EGMONT SYN DEN XI APRIL VERTROCKE SOECKT BRIEF”.
1634, May 13: The British vessel “Mary”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, upon her departure, her crew left behind on Robben Island a batch of letters in the keeping of the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato.
1634, June 4: The British vessel “Coaster”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay and during her stay her crew collected two batches of mail which had previously been left on Robben Island, in the keeping of the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato.
1635, April: The British vessel “Jonas”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and, upon her departure, her crew left behind a batch of letters beneath a Post Office Stone.
1638, February 18: Dutch vessels including, among others, the “Wezel”, “Haarlem”, “Middelburg” and “Nassau”, outward bound, anchored in Table Bay. Upon their arrival they collected mail which had previously been left behind on Robben Island, in the keeping of the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato. Having found him to be reliable, upon their departure they left their mail with him. This was collected on 18 March by the “Amsterdam”. However they also marked their visit with an engraved stone, which they left on the mainland.
1639, May 6: The British vessel “Mary”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay and her crew collected mail which had previously been left behind on Robben Island in the keeping of the Khoikhoi chief Autshumato.
1646, February 27: Dutch vessels, including, among others, the “Tiger”, “Walvisch”, “Vrede” and “Zutphen”, homeward bound, anchored in Table Bay. Upon their arrival the Chief Mate of the “Zutphen” was sent ashore to collect the “Dutch” mail from Isaac. This Isaac refused to hand over until the next day, when he could make the delivery in person to the Captain of the “Zutphen” aboard his ship. Upon their departure the Dutch left a consignment of letters with Isaac.
1693: Governor Simon van der Stel establishes the position of Veldwachtmeesters, or “field watch officers”. These persons fell under the jurisdiction of local magistrates, or Landdrosts, and were expected to act as subordinate magistrates, with authority over a sub-division of the magisterial district. They also acted as an important communication link between the Colonial administration in Cape Town and the outlying districts, and their duties included the transmission of government notices, dispatches and official letters. In time they also came to include the collection and delivery of private mails. By the time of the first British occupation of the Cape in 1795, these officials had become known as Field-Cornets.
1788: The Cape’s Council of Policy was instructed by the Directors of the Dutch East India Company (VoC) in Holland to investigate the possibility of establishing a postal service linking the colony to the Cape.
1789, December 28: The Council of Policy, under Governor Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff, resolved establish a post comptoir for the Cape.
1792, March 2: Adriaan Vincent Bergh was appointed the Cape’s first official postmaster under Acting Governor Johan Isaac Rhenius. His office was located in the Leerdam Bastion of Cape Town Castle. Each letter arriving at the Cape had to be paid for upon collection.
1803, June 13: A monthly mail service, connecting Cape Town to Algoa Bay, was established.
1803, June 24: The Dragoon Postal Service, connecting Cape Town to Simonstown daily, was established. This was a military service which operated primarily in the winter months, when ships of the VoC anchored in the safer waters of False Bay.
1803, November 2: A weekly postal route, connecting Cape Town to Stellenbosch, was established. At first mail was carried by relays of Khoikhoi runners, but these were eventually replaced by post wagons.
1806, January 10: The Dutch garrison at the Cape surrenders to a British expeditionary force, and the colony moves permanently into British control.
1806, April 1: First official mail service linking Cape Town to Simonstown established. Mail was carried thrice weekly by relays of Khoikhoi runners. Payment for postage could only be made in Cape Town, and consequently letters from outlying districts could only be paid for upon collection.
1806, May 3: Cape Town businessman, William Caldwell, was appointed Deputy Postmaster General, pending the arrival of a new Postmaster General from England. Caldwell was charged with the revision of postal charges, as well as the reorganization of the local postal system. Particular attention was to be paid to the conveyance of mails to Saldanha Bay, Stellenbosch, Tulbagh, Swellendam, Mossel Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Uitenhage and Graff-Reinet.
1806, May 23: The post office in Cape Town is re-opened for business in the Castle under the management of a postal clerk, JH Berrange.
1807, July 10: Horse Posts, better known as "Post Orderlies", replaced runners on inland mails.
1807, October 13: The use of Official-Free postage limited to a specific group of government officials. Surprisingly the Postmaster General was omitted from this list, and was only accorded this privilege after 8 February 1817.
1807, December 3: Matthew Gall arrives from England, and is immediately appointed Postmaster General of the Cape, replacing Caldwell who returns to private business.
1809, May 20: Robert Crozier replaced Matthew Gall as Postmaster General. Gall, who had proved himself thoroughly inept, returned to England. Initially Crozier was only designated as “PMG, Acting for Mr Gall”, but was formally confirmed to this position on 18 November 1815.
1809, October 2: The General Post Office was moved from its original quarters in the Castle to new premises in the Old Slave Quarters. On 16 August 1816 it was moved to new and more convenient rooms in the same building.
1810: A basic fee of 4d had to be paid on every letter arriving from overseas. The ship’s Master received a 1d fee for every letter he carried.
1815, November 15: Robert Crozier formally confirmed as Postmaster General.
1822, February 1: First post office opened in Port Elizabeth, with William Dunn as its first postmaster.
1846: Postal rates were standardised at 4d per half ounce. The frequency of mail deliveries from Cape Town to Grahamstown was increased to twice per week.
1846: A line of military semaphores was built connecting Grahamstown to Fort Beaufort. Unfortunately the atmospheric conditions prevailing in the region made visual communication virtually impossible except on cool, dry days, when visibility was not affected by either an early morning mist or heavy atmospheric refraction of the air. By the early 1850s the system had fallen into disuse.
1846: The so-called “Coolie Hire Service” comes into operation in Cape Town. Although it was in blatant contravention of the Post Office’s official monopoly on the portage of mail, it was allowed to operate subject to regulations imposed by the Cape Town Municipality, which placed limitations upon the weight which “coolie postmen” were allowed to carry. The service was provided by self-employed Malay carriers who, in return for a fixed fee, were allowed to convey letters and parcels within the immediate vicinity of Cape Town. The service ceased to operate in 1855.
1846, March 1: The GPO begins to conduct Money Order transactions.
1851: Johannes Adriaan le Sueur appointed Postmaster General of the Cape.
1851, January 27: The first Ocean Mail contract, for carrying mail between England and the Cape, was awarded to the General Screw Steam Shipping Company. The service was inaugurated by the Bosphorus, which arrived in Cape Town on 27 January 1851 on the outward leg of the first journey. However, by 1855, the company had run into financial difficulties, and in 1856 the contract was awarded to a British Member of Parliament, WS Lindsay. Unfortunately his ships proved to be too slow, making the voyage in over 50 days instead of the stipulated 36. As a result in about August 1857 the contract was again put out to tender, and this time it was awarded to Union Steamship Co (Ltd).
1852: Mail deliveries from Cape Town to Grahamstown were increased to three times per week. A Book Post was established between the Cape and the United Kingdom.
1853: After prolonged complaints, the Clerks of Civil Commissioners and Resident Magistrates were relieved of their duties as postmasters. However this system was to remain in place in Basutoland and the Native Territories until as late as the 1880s.
1853, September 1: The prepayment of postage by means of postal adhesives, or stamps, was introduced in the Cape. The stamps were designed by Charles Bell, Surveyor General of the Cape, and depicted “Hope” reclining within a triangular format. They were engraved and recess printed by the British security firm of Perkins Bacon, and were issued in imperforate sheets. However the prepayment of postage in coin remained optional.
1854: Book Post services to the UK extended to Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth.
1854, January: The Registered Mail service was instituted on a formal basis. The practice of recording the dispatch of a letter in an official book probably began under the Dutch in 1792, but in the event of loss, no liability accrued to the Post Office.
1854, January 23: Private Boxes, later known as Post Boxes, were first introduced at the Cape Town Post Office.
1856: The postal rate to the United Kingdom was fixed at 6d per half ounce.
1857: Publications printed in the Colony, not exceeding 6oz in mass, permitted to be forwarded through the post at 1d per ounce.
1857, October 29: In about August 1857 the new Ocean Mail contract was awarded to the Union Castle Line. The service was inaugurated by the Dane, which arrived at Cape Town on 29 October 1857 on the outward leg of the first monthly sailing.
1858: The prepayment of inland letters by means of postage stamps was made compulsory.
1858: Issue of the first Post Office Guide Hand Book, published by Saul Solomon & Co, Cape Town.
1860, September 15: Provisions for a local Penny Post were promulgated on 12 February 1846, but were only implemented some fourteen years later, when the first Penny Post was established in Cape Town. The subsequent year this was extended to Port Elizabeth, and by 1877 the reduced tariff had been extended to most of the Colony’s major centers of population.
1860, April: The first telegraph line to be erected in the Cape, running between Cape Town and Simon's Town, was opened.
1861: Building of telegraph line joining East London to King William’s Town.
1861, February 23: Early in 1861 supplies of postal adhesives began to run out, and although new supplies had been ordered from the British printers, Perkins Bacon, some time before, it became obvious that these would not reach the Cape in time to meet local needs. Consequently the postal authorities in Cape Town authorized the firm of Saul Solomon & Co to print a stock of stamps. The plates were engraved locally by CJ Roberts, and although he based his design upon the triangular stamps in current use, he was unable to match their fine line and elegant detail. The final result had a coarse, wood-cut appearance, and consequently they became known as the "woodblock" issue. Between 23 February and 10 April 1861 a total of 125, 102 stamps of the 1d value, and 113,256 of the 4d value were printed, before it was realized that a consignment of stamps from Perkins Bacon had been delivered to the Colony some time before, and that, through a bureaucratic blunder, had been languishing all along in a Cape Town customs warehouse awaiting clearance.
1862: Authorisation given for the building of a telegraph line joining Cape Town to Grahamstown. The first leg of this line, from Grahamstown to Port Elizabeth, was inaugurated on 2 January 1862, and work over the whole line was completed in 1864.
1862: The transfer of money from one centre to the next through the medium of the Post Office, known as Money Orders, was instituted in 1862. Initially this was set at ₤10, but in May 1905 this was raised to a maximum sum of ₤40.
1862, October: Inland Book Post services extended to all centers served by a mail cart.
1863: The first Cape railway line, from Cape Town to Wellington, was opened. This was subsequently purchased by the Cape Government in 1873.
1863, March: A new Ocean Mail contract for the transport of mails between England and the Cape was awarded to the Union Castle Line. A competing tender was submitted by the Diamond Line Shipping Co, and although its offer was lower than that of the Union Line, it was rejected because its fleet had yet to be built. In terms of the new contract, which was to run for seven years, the mail-ship company also had to extend its sailings to Port Elizabeth, and the first Union mail steamer entered Algoa Bay on 22 February 1864. The Diamond Line was undeterred by its failure to gain the official mail contract, and once its flagship, the Eastern Province was put into service, it began to provide a cheaper and faster “private” service than the Union Line. However the company was not able to maintain its early momentum, and it ceased its operations in 1867.
1864: The Penny Post was extended to all places in the Colony served twice daily by a mail.
1864: A mail service between the Cape Colony and Mauritius, with connections to Suez and Europe, was inaugurated. This became known as the “Overland Mail”.
1864, January: Issue of first “Hope Seated” rectangular stamp series.
1866: A Pattern and Sample Post was established between the Cape and the United Kingdom. In 1869 this was extended to the interior of the Colony.
1865: The Postmaster General of the Cape, Johannes Adriaan le Sueur, was suspended from office following the embezzlement of some ₤1800 from the Post Office by one of his subordinates. Although no charges of dishonesty were ever brought against Le Sueur, the subsequent Commission of Enquiry into the matter found that, as the officer in charge, he was personally responsible for the shortfall incurred, and ordered that he repay it in full. He was formally dismissed from the Post Office in 1867, but following a prolonged campaign to clear his name, Le Sueur was quietly acquitted of all charges by the Cape Legislature, and eventually all his pension rights were reinstated. The repayment of the ₤1800 was initially halved, and then waived in its entirety. During his term of suspension the duties of PMG were filled by James Davidson, as Acting PMG.
1867, October 1: Charles Piers was appointed Postmaster General of the Cape. Piers was an accountant with no prior Post Office experience, and was obviously brought in by the Cape Government to revise Post Office fiscal procedures and introduce new safeguards in the aftermath of the scandal which terminated Le Sueur’s career as an administrator. In 1873 Piers returned to his former duties in the Treasury.
1868, November 17: Issue of current stocks of “Hope Seated” 6d stamps overprinted in red with "FOUR PENCE" for provisional usage.
1869: The fee for the Registration of letters was reduced from 6d to 4d.
1870, October 15: The first mails were dispatched from the Griqualand Diamond Fields. At this stage they were forwarded to Cape Town via the Orange Free State.
1871, January 19: The first mails were dispatched from Cape Town to the Griqualand Diamond Fields. The receiving post office was located at Klip Drift, subsequently renamed Barkly West, which was opened on the same day. Initially the territory used postal adhesives from the Cape Colony, but from 1877 to 1880 it made use of Cape stamps overprinted with the letters “GW” and “G” in a variety of sizes and typefaces. In October 1880 Griqualand West was incorporated into the Cape, and its post offices returned to using the Colony’s postal adhesives.
1871, August 25: Issue of the second “Hope Seated” rectangular stamp series.
1872: The Cape Goverment began the construction of railways under the control of the Public Works Department.
1872, February 1: The first post office in Basutoland was opened at Maseru.
1873: The General Post Office was moved from its premises in the Old Slave Quarters in Bureau Street, which it had occupied for 64 years, to a building on the corner of Church and St George’s Streets, which was leased for this purpose from Saul Solomon. When this building was subsequently vacated by the Post Office in 1897, it was taken over by the Cape Times.
1873: George Aitchison was appointed Postmaster General of the Cape. He joined the Post Office on 23 September 1850 as an Additional Clerk at the GPO in Cape Town, and after a steady rise through the ranks, was appointed Accountant and Secretary to the PMG in 1860, effectively becoming Le Sueur’s deputy. Despite his high position and close association with Le Sueur, he appears to have survived the financial scandal of 1865 with his reputation relatively untarnished. For a time he dropped out of sight in Tulbagh, where he served as Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate from 1 January 1869 through to 1873, but in that year he was recalled to the Post Office where he served as PMG until he died in office on 26 January 1892.
1873, July 1: The Cape of Good Hope Telegraph Company was purchased by the Cape Government for a sum of ₤41,124. At the time it included 760 miles of telegraph lines and 16 telegraph offices.
1874, September 1: Issue of current stocks of “Hope Seated” 6d stamps overprinted in red with "ONE PENNY" for provisional usage. In Kimberley the postmaster amended a stock of 4d stamps by inscribing them “1d” by hand in red-brown ink.
1875: The Cape Railways were separated into three branches, the Western, Midland and Eastern Systems.
1875, March 1: The telegraph rate was reduced to 5 shillings for twenty words from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, and to 8 shillings for the same to East London.
1876: The Kimberley Diamond Fields were linked to the Cape's telegraphic network.
1876: A Returned Letter Office was established in Cape Town’s GPO.
1876, June: The Ocean Mail contract, which the Union Line had held for nearly 20 years, expired, and when the results of the new tender were announced, the new contract was awarded jointly to the Union Line and the Donald Currie Line, better known as the Castle Line. Sailings were increased to three times per month, with the two companies making alternate trips.
1876, October 1: The Cape Colony assumed responsibility for providing the Ocean Mail Service. Under the new contract a regular weekly service was inaugurated linking the Cape to the United Kingdom in 26 days.
1876, November: Issue of current stocks of “Hope Seated” 1s stamps overprinted in black with "ONE PENNY" for provisional usage.
1877: Postal cards introduced, but their use was permitted only in those areas where a penny postal service was in operation.
1877, March: Griqualand West overprints postal adhesives of the Cape Colony with the letters “GW” and “G” in a variety of sizes and typefaces. After Griqualand West was incorporated into the Cape in October 1880, stocks of these stamps were transferred from Kimberley to Cape Town, and were distributed to post offices in the Cape Colony for normal use.
1878: The system of post box delivery was introduced for the first in Port Elizabeth. This service was extended to Cape Town the following year, and, thereafter, to the larger post offices in the Colony.
1878: The Cape's telegraph system was linked through to Natal.
1879, November 1: The limited Penny Post and the general 4d per half-ounce letter rates were abolished, and replaced by a uniform tariff of 3d per half-ounce.
1879, November 1: Issue of existing stocks of “Hope Seated” 4d stamps, originally printed in blue, overprinted in red with "THREE PENCE" for provisional usage.
1879, December 27: The Cape was linked telegraphically to Europe through Durban and the East Coast Cable system.
1880, February: Issue of new stocks of “Hope Seated” 4d stamps, specially printed in a pale dull rose colour, overprinted in black with "THREEPENCE" for provisional usage.
1880, July 1: Issue of new “Hope Seated” 3d stamps printed in a pale dull rose. This colour immediately proved to be unsatisfactory as it led to a great deal of confusion with the existing 1d value. In order to obviate this confusion, in August 1880 existing stocks of the new 3d pale dull rose stamps were boldly overprinted in black with the figure "3" in order to make them more easily identifiable.
1880, August 1: Somerset R French was appointed Secretary and Accountant to the GPO in Cape Town. Formerly with the GPO in London, he is credited with the organisation of postal services in Cyprus. As a result he was asked to undertake the re-organisation of postal services in the Cape. He became Postmaster General of the Cape from 1892 to 1908, and in 1901 was knighted for his work during the South African War.
1881: The Cape Colony is admitted to membership of the International Telegraph Union.
1881, January: The “Hope Seated” 3d stamps were re-issued in a pale claret colour, in a printing specially authorised by the Postmaster General.
1881, December: Imprinted newspaper wrappers first issued.
1882: The various postal enactments of the Colony, previously scattered through 16 different Acts in the statute books, were consolidated into one, Act No 4 of 1882. This had the effect of reducing the Inland Letter rate from 3d to 2d per half-ounce; the Inland Newspaper rate was reduced from 1d to ½d; and provided for the issue of a 1d post card service to all parts of the Colony.
1882: Registered letter envelopes issued for the first time.
1882: Postal Orders were first introduced for the purpose of transmitting small sums of money through the postal system. This ranged from a minimum of 6d through to a maximum of ₤1.1s, and was designed to serve those regions where the facilities of a Money Order Office were not immediately available. In 1908 the Cape Postal Order was replaced by the British Postal Order.
1882: The Cape's first Telephone Exchange was opened in Port Elizabeth. This was followed by the opening of a similar service in Cape Town, with some 54 subscribers.
1882: The first Railway Traveling Post Office, known as the Western TPO, was established between Cape Town and Victoria West Road, since renamed Hutchinson. In order to speed up the delivery of mail upon arrival, special railway carriages were fitted out as sorting offices and attached to trains carrying mail.
1882, April 1: Issue of the first Post Office Guide published on a quarterly basis.
1882, May 14: The 2d rate of postage came into operation to Natal.
1882. July: The “Hope Seated” 3d stamps were re-issued in the same pale claret colour, but with a different watermark.
1882, July: Issue of existing stocks of “Hope Seated” 3d pale claret stamps overprinted in black with "One Half-Penny" for provisional usage.
1882, July: Issue of the third “Hope Seated” rectangular stamp series.
1882, July 1: The 2d rate of postage came into operation within the Cape Colony.
1882, July 1: Parcel post commenced.
1883: Negotiations begin for the foundation of a South African Postal Union.
1883: A Telegraphic Money Order system was instituted.
1883, July 1: The 2d rate of postage came into operation to the Orange Free State.
1883, October 1: In terms of a new contract, the length of passage of Ocean Mails between Cape Town and the United Kingdom was reduced to 21½ days.
1884: The Postal Note service was inaugurated.
1884: Provincial Post Offices were graded into Head Offices, Sub-Offices and Postal Agencies, the latter two being made subordinate to the first. Head Offices thus became responsible for the local distribution of postal matter, and for controlling the accountancy of subordinate offices.
1884, January 1: The Post Office Savings Bank was established. This replaced the Government Savings Bank, previously administered by the Treasury.
1884, May: The general distribution of stamps was transferred to the Principal Distributor of Stamps at the Treasury, in Cape Town.
1884, December: Issue of the fourth “Hope Seated” rectangular stamp series.
1885, February 16: The postal and telegraphic services of the Cape were amalgamated into one Department under the control of the Postmaster General.
1885, April 1: The 2d rate of postage came into operation to the Transvaal.
1885, July 1: Postage stamps first affixed to telegraph messages.
1885, December 1: Parcel post extended to the United Kingdom.
1886: The Postal Draft system came into operation. This permitted persons to draw upon their creditors for any sum not exceeding ₤10. In terms of legislation, a draft had the same force and effect as a legal demand. The Cape Colony was the first of the countries in the British Empire to adopt the business.
1888: The first mechanized postage stamp canceller was brought into use in Cape Town. Up to this time all mails had been processes by hand.
1888, October: In terms of a new contract, the length of passage of Ocean Mails between Cape Town and the United Kingdom reduced to 20 days.
1888, October 1: The 6d rate on letters to the United Kingdom was lowered to 4d.
1889, January 1: The 1d postage rate came into operation within the Cape Colony.
1890: The Midland Travelling Post Office, covering the railway line between Port Elizabeth and Cradock, was inaugurated.
1890, December 1: The Northern Traveling Post Office, covering the railway line between De Aar and Vryburg, was inaugurated.
1891: Parts of Cape Telegraph System running through Orange Free State territory were handed over to its Government.
1891, January 1: The 4d rate on letters to the United Kingdom was lowered to 2½d, and the 6d rate to Europe was reduced to 3d.
1891, March: Issue of new stocks of “Hope Seated” 3d stamps, specially printed in a pale magenta colour, overprinted in black with "2½d" for provisional usage.
1891, September 1: George Hurford, Postmaster of Grahamstown, was appointed Postmaster General of the Orange Free State.
1892, January 26: Death of Postmaster General GW Aitchison. The following day Somerset R French was appointed in his stead.
1892, March 1: Issue of the new “Hope Seated” 2½d stamps printed in an amended design and in a sage-green colour.
1892, May 1: Embossed envelopes were first introduced.
1892, May 31: Direct telegraphic communication established with Basutoland, with the Telegraph Department of the OFS conducting maintenance of the line. The territory's first telegraph office was opened at Maseru.
1892, July 1: Natal joins the UPU.
1892, August 19: First "Book of Instruction to Postmastrs" published.
1892, September 1: The rate on letters to all parts of the world outside South Africa was set at a uniform fee of 2½d.
1892, September 1: The 1d rate of postage to the Orange Free State came into operation.
1892, September20: Cape postal rates fall into line with the UPU tariffs. However the Cape's Ocean Mail contracts prevented it from joining the UPU until 1895.
1892, September 26: The Post Office Amendment Act of 1892 took effect, amending letter, newspaper and packet rates.
1893: The Albany Traveling Post Office, covering the railway line between Grahamstown and Alicedale, was inaugurated. It was abolished in 1898.
1893: The Telegraph Services of the British South Africa Company were placed under the management of the Cape's Postmaster General. It remained thus until 23 February 1897.
1893, January 1: The ZAR joins the UPU.
1893, March: Issue of existing stocks of “Hope Seated” 2d stamps overprinted in black with "ONE PENNY" for provisional usage.
1893, April 1: The administration of the postal affairs of Bechuanaland and Bechuanaland Protectorate was transferred to the Postmaster General of the Cape in Cape Town.
1893, October: Issue of new "Hope Standing" stamps in three values.
1893, October 1: The Ocean Post Office was established, with an office being located upon each mail steamer traveling between Table Bay and the United Kingdom.
1893, December: Issue of the fifth “Hope Seated” rectangular stamp series, in new colours.
1894: The Cape Colony initiates direct exchange of mails with many of its more important countries of correspondence, thus sidestepping the United Kingdom through which all mails had hitherto been channeled.
1895: The Cape Colony enters the Universal Postal Union.
1895, November 16: The Crown Colony of Bechuanaland was annexed to the Cape, and its Postal and Telegraph Services were absorbed into those of the Cape.
1896, February 1: The Eastern Traveling Post Office, covering the railway line between Rosmead and Queenstown, was inaugurated.
1896, November 1: The 1d rate of postage to Natal came into operation.
1897: The GPO was transferred to new premises in Adderley Street. Construction of the building was begun in 1893 and cost some ₤195,000. However, within ten years the work of the Post Office had grown to such a degree that the premises had grown too cramped, and the Postmaster General had begun to make requests for additional office space.
1897, February 1: The North-Eastern Traveling Post Office, covering the railway line between Middelburg Road and De Aar, was inaugurated.
1897, July 1: The Post Office took over the entire sale of Revenue Stamps on behalf of the Treasury.
1898: The South African Postal Union came into being, incorporating the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The following year they were joined by The Portuguese province of Lourenco Marques.
1898, January 1: The 1d rate of postage to the ZAR came into operation.
1898, December 25: The Imperial Penny Postage rate came into being. However technical considerations prevented the Cape from immediately joining the service.
1899: The Portuguese province of Lourenco Marques was admitted to the South African Postal Union.
1899, January: The use of motor cars for the transport and collection of mails was instituted on an experimental basis in Cape Town. This was abandoned in February owing to the unreliable nature of these vehicles.
1899, April 1: The 1d rate of postage to Algoa Bay came into operation.
1899, April 1: The letter rate to the Bechuanaland Protectorate was reduced from 4d to 2d; postcards from 1½d to 1d; newspapers from 1d to ½d for four ounces; and books to a uniform rate of ½d per two ounces.
1899, July: A “Camel Post” was established in the Division of Gordonia, to service the mail route between Zwart Modder and Mier. This proved to be an extremely efficient method of covering the terrain, but an increase in the volume of mail that the camels were expected to carry, as well as a shortage of the animals, led to their being withdrawn from the service on 31 March 1914, when they were replaced by ox-driven carts.
1899, July 1: The General Post Office undertook the sale of licenses through all of its Money Order Offices in the Colony, exclusive of the Native Territories.
1899, July 7: Introduction of 1d pictorial postcards, intended for international use, bearing six views of the Cape.
1899, September 1: Provisions of the Imperial Penny Postage were implemented in the Cape for letters addressed to the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and other British Colonies and dependencies.
1899, October 12: Outbreak of hostilities on the Cape’s northern borders. An Army Post Office was established on the third floor of the GPO building in Cape Town, under the management of the Cape’s PMG, Somerset French.
1899, November 24: Delivery of mails suspended between the Cape and the Boer republics of the ZAR and the Orange Free State.
1899, November 24: Boer forces occupied Vryburg on 15 October 1899, and on 24 November overprinted captured stocks of Cape stamps with “Z.A.R.” and a new value. They withdrew from the town on 7 May 1900.
1900, January 1: Issue of a new postage stamp, depicting Table Bay, Table Mountain and the Cape's coat of arms.
1900, March 8: The Union and Castle lines amalgamated into one company, which became known as the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company Ltd. In terms of a new contract covering the next ten years, the length of passage of Ocean Mails between Cape Town and the United Kingdom was reduced to 16 days 15 hours.
1900, March 23: Issue of Provisional Overprints in Mafeking, to cover its immediate postal needs. The printers used stocks of Cape stamps, as well as British stamps previously overprinted “BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE”. In both cases they were overprinted “MAFEKING BESIEGED” and a new value. The rates used locally were 1s per ½oz for mails dispatched to the north, via Bechuanaland and Rhodesia, and 6d per ½oz for mails dispatched to the south, via the Cape. The Cape Post Office subsequently gave these stamps the status of "Military issues".
1900, April 9: Issue of the Mafeking Local Provisionals, subsequently known as the "Mafeking Blues". Given the isolation of the town, and the difficulty of getting large quantities of mail through the Boer lines, it is probable that both the Mafeking Blues and the Provisional Overprints were produced to raise the morale of the besieged population.
1900, July 5: The letter rate to Rhodesia was reduced from 4d to 2d.
1900, October 1: All Cape triangular stamp issues were demonetised owing to a proliferation of forgeries.
1901, March 1: The Bechuanaland Protectorate was admitted to the Universal Postal Union.
1902: The Orange River Colony was admitted to the South African Postal Union.
1902, May 1: The rate of postage for printed matter addressed to all overseas destinations was reduced from 1d to ½d per 2oz.
1902, November: Issue of a new definitive issue of stamps bearing the portrait of King Edward VII.
1902: A system of compensation for the loss of inland registered packets or their contents was introduced.
1903, January 1: The Orange River Colony is admitted to the Universal Postal Union.
1903, January 1: The 1d per ½oz letter rate of postage in force throughout the South African Postal Union was extended to Southern, North-Eastern, and North-Western Rhodesia. The postcard rate was similarly reduced to ½d for a single item.
1903, January 1: Postcards of private manufacture were accepted for transmission through the South African postal service. At the same time the price of official cards was reduced to face value, although the price of the GPO's illustrated postcards remains unaltered.
1903, April 1: The 1d rate of postage to Bechuanaland Protectorate took effect.
1905, May 1: The maximum limit upon Money Orders was raised to ₤40.
1905, December 2: Booklets containing thirty 1d postage stamps, and priced at 2s 7d each, were introduced.
1906, December 1: Price of official illustrated postcards reduced to face value.
1908, January 31: Sir Somerset R French retired as Postmaster General, and was immediately appointed as the Cape’s Agent-General in London
1908, February 1: William Hoal was appointed Postmaster General, to succeed Sir Somerset R French.
1910, May 31: Declaration of the Union of South Africa. Post offices in the Cape, Natal Orange Free State and Transvaal were merged under a single administration with its headquarters in Pretoria. Former Cape Postmaster General, William Hoal, was appointed the first Union P