University of South Africa Centenary

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This cover is postmarked on 02-04-1973 at Unisarand. It marks the centenary of the University of South Africa, founded in Cape Town in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, a degree conferring and examining body rather than a teaching institution in its earliest form. The university took its current name and moved its seat to Pretoria in 1918, and by the time of this cover's issue it served approximately 30 000 external students of all races under the principalship of Professor Theo van Wijk.

Description of the Cachet

The cachet shows the University of South Africa's distinctive fan shaped high rise building in a monochrome architectural illustration against a mustard gold background, its tiered facade rendered in confident line work. The university's coat of arms sits beside the building within a bordered inset, framed by "Eeufees 1873 1973 Centenary" text. "Universiteit van Suid-Afrika / University of South Africa" runs beneath the illustration in plain bilingual type. The three stamps depict Pierce de Villa's rendering of a classical stone building, the university's coat of arms in a shield format, and an aerial architectural view of a modern campus complex, illustrated respectively by Pierre de Villa, Hannes Meiring, and Hannes Meiring. The Unisarand postmark, cancelled directly across the stamps, carries the wordmark "unisa" alongside the centenary dates. A separate photographic insert accompanies this cover, showing a black and white map of South Africa marked with the emblems and locations of the country's universities, situating UNISA within the wider landscape of South African higher education institutions active in the early 1970s. This cover combines architecture, heraldry and cartography across its several components, giving a fuller institutional portrait than a single stamp design could carry alone.

Information Card

UNISA Die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika is die oudste universiteit in die Republiek. Oorspronklik was hy as die Universiteit van die Kaap die Goeie Hoop bekend en is in 1873 in Kaapstad as 'n inrigting vir die toekenning van grade en die afneme van eksamens gestig. Regeringswetgewing in 1916 het twee van die kolleges wat studente vir sy grade voorberei het in die universiteite van Kaapstad en van Stellenbosch omgeskep. Terselfdertyd is die Universiteit van die Kaap die Goeie Hoop hersaamgestel as 'n federale inrigting met ses samestellende kolleges in Bloemfontein, Grahamstad, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria en Wellington. Die Universiteit is ook gemagtig om eksamens van private studente af te neem en grade aan hulle toe te ken. Sy naam is verander in die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, Pretoria het sy setel geword en sy werksaamhede in die nuwe vorm het op Dinsdag, 2 April 1918, 'n aanvang geneem. 'n Sewende kollege, dié in Potchefstroom, het hom in 1921 by die federasie gevoeg. Tussen 1922 en 1951 het al die samestellende kolleges, behalwe die eertydse Hugenote-Universiteitskollege Wellington, selfstandige universiteite geword. In 1946 is 'n Afdeling Eksterne Studie in die lewe geroep om onderrig te gee aan die talle onverbonde studente wat grade aan die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika wou verwerf. Hierdie nuwe afdeling is toevertrou aan professor A. J. H. Van der Walt wat later die eerste prinsipaal van die Universiteit geword het. Na die ontbinding van die federasie is die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika weer eens hersaamgestel, hierdie keer as 'n inrigting wat net aan eksterne studente grade toeken. Hy het egter 'n aantal jare lank leiding gegee aan die akademiese ontwikkeling van vier kolleges – die vir Bantoe-, Kleurling- en Asiërstudente – wat almal sedertdien selfstandige universiteite geword het. Professor Van der Walt was die grondlegger van die huidige Universiteit en 'n tydperk van snelle uitbreiding het gedurende die diensty (1956 – 1972) van sy opvolger, professor Samuel Pauw, gevolg. Tans, met professor Theo van Wijk as rektor, studeer 30 000 studente van alle rasse aan hierdie Universiteit in die fakulteite Lettere en Wysbegeerte, Natuurwetenskap, Regte, Opvoedkunde, Handel en Administrasie en Teologie. **English:** UNISA The University of South Africa is the oldest university in the Republic. Known originally as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, it was founded in Cape Town in 1873 as a degree-conferring and examining institution. In 1916 Government legislation converted two of the colleges that prepared students for its degrees into the independent universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch. At the same time the University of the Cape of Good Hope was reconstructed as a federal institution with six constituent colleges in Bloemfontein, Grahamstown, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria and Wellington. It was also authorized to set examinations for and confer degrees on private students. Renamed the University of South Africa, its seat was transferred to Pretoria and it commenced activities in its new form on Tuesday, 2 April 1918. A seventh college, that of Potchefstroom, joined the federation in 1921. Between 1922 and 1951 all the constituent colleges, with the exception of the now defunct Huguenot College in Wellington, became independent universities. In 1946 a Division of External Studies was created to instruct the many unattached students who sought degrees from the University of South Africa. The new section was entrusted to Professor A. J. H. Van der Walt, who later became the first Principal of the University. After the dissolution of the federation the University of South Africa was once again reconstructed, this time as a degree-conferring institution purely for external students. It did however for some years guide the academic progress of four colleges – those for Bantu, Coloured and Asian students – that have since become independent universities. Professor Van der Walt laid the foundation for the university of today and a period of rapid expansion followed during the term of office (1956 – 1972) of his successor, Professor Samuel Pauw. Today, under the principalship of Professor Theo van Wijk, there are approximately 30 000 students of all races studying at the University in the Faculties of Arts, Science, Law, Education, Commerce and Administration, and Divinity.

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