GENERAL HERTZOG

South Africa, Bloemfontien · 1968-09-21

Official

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Cachet: The cachet shows a bronze coloured statue of General Hertzog standing upright in a formal suit, one hand tucked into his jacket pocket in a relaxed, confident pose. The figure is printed in a flat copper tone against the plain cream envelope, giving it the appearance of a monument rather than a portrait. Across the top left of the cover a small airmail symbol appears in blue, and the general's own signature is reproduced in bold black script cutting diagonally across the design.

Info card

GENERAL J. B. M. HERTZOG Extracts from speeches and Statutes Section 14 of the "School Act" of 1908 of the Orange River Colony: "It shall be the duty of the principal teacher of each primary or secondary Public School to provide for and enforce the equal treatment as much as possible of the English and Dutch language in such school in order to ensure the proficiency of the children in each of these languages." De Wildt 6.12.1912: "In so far as the interests of one's country are concerned, the first question one should ask oneself is: Is it to the advantage of South Africa? If not, it is the duty of every right-minded South African to say: I'll have nothing to do with it." From this slogan, "South Africa first", was born. 28.7.1926: "I need not repeat therefore that I continue to insist on a completely independent status for South Africa and every dominion — in the international as well as the interimperial sphere. The justice of this claim can no longer be denied us by anyone." The Statutes of 1934 provide that: "The Parliament of the Union shall be the sovereign legislative power in and over the Union, and notwithstanding anything in any other law contained, no Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland passed after the eleventh day of December, 1931, shall extend, or be deemed to extend, to the Union as part of the law of the Union, unless extended thereto by an Act of the Parliament of the Union." Smithfield 5.12.1937: "Our way lies along the highroad of equality and equivalence, not that of domination and selfishness — this is my message to the Afrikaner nation. Give me equality and equivalence, viewed in a spirit of mutual respect, and the sources of dissension and discord between the two kindred races will immediately disappear, and where strife and hostility prevail today, co-operation and friendship will flourish tomorrow." GENERAAL J. B. M. HERTZOG. Uittreksels uit toesprake en Wette. Artikel 14 van die "School Wet" van 1908 van die Oranje Rivier Kolonie: "De hoofonderwijzer van elke lagere of middelbare openbare school zal verplicht zijn zooveel mogelijk voorziening te maken voor en de gelijke behandeling van de Engelse en Hollandse taal in zulke school te handhaven, ten einde grondige kennis van elk van deze talen bij de kinderen te verzekeren." De Wildt 6.12.1912: "De eerste vraag die men zich te alle tijde moet stellen waar 't geldt landzaken is: wordt Zuidafrika ердoor gebaat of niet en wanneer dit niet 't geval is, dan is de plicht van elke rechtgeaarde Zuidafrikaner te zeggen: ek wil met de zaak niets te maken hebben." Hieruit is die slagspreuk "Suid-Afrika eerste" gebore. 28.7.1926: "Ek hoef dus nie te herhaal nie dat ek staan by die aanspraak van 'n volkome onafhanklike status vir Suid-Afrika en elke ander dominium — sowel internasionaal as interimperiaal. Die regmatigheid van die aanspraak kan ons deur niemand meer ontsê word nie." In die Statuswet van 1934 word verklaar dat: "Die Parlement van die Unie is die soewereine wetgewende gesag in en oor die Unie, en niettemin enigiets in 'n ander wet vervat, sal geen wet van die Parlement van die Verenigde Koninkryk en Noord-Ierland gemaak na die elfde dag van Desember 1931 in die Unie as deel van die reg van die Unie geld of geag word te geld nie tensy uit kragte van 'n Wet van die Parlement van die Unie." Smithfield 5.12.1937: "Ons weg lê langs die grootpad van gelykheid en gelykwaardigheid en nie langs die van oorheersing en selfsug nie — dit is my boodskap aan die Afrikanervolk. Gee my gelykheid en gelykwaardigheid, beskou in 'n gees van wedersydse eerbied, en die bronne van twis en verdeeldheid tussen die twee broederrasse sal dadelik opdroog, en waar vandag tweedrag en vyandskap heers, sal môre samewerking en vriendskap bloei."

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 21 September 1968 in Bloemfontein and carries a reproduction of General J.B.M. Hertzog's signature. The three stamps depict Hertzog alongside a sculptural group, part of a series commemorating his life and political legacy. Hertzog served as Prime Minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939 and was a central figure in the country's path toward full legislative independence from Britain, formalised through the Statute of Westminster in 1931 and reflected in South Africa's own 1934 Status Act, extracts of which appear on the accompanying card.

Theme: Heritage

Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.

Addressed: Yes

Signed: No

SAPO serial number: 8

Estimated value: ~US$0.1

This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.