ISCOR - Iron and Steel Corporation
South Africa, Staalhof · 1978-06-05
Official first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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front
This cover is postmarked on 5 June 1978 in Staalhof, marking fifty years since Iscor's establishment under the Iron and Steel Industry Act of 1928. The stamp depicts a steel rail in cross section, a fitting image for a corporation built to supply South Africa's own steel needs from local raw materials. Iscor's growth from its first steel tap in April 1934 was dramatic. Annual production started at just 160 000 ingot tons and by the time of this jubilee cover the corporation was targeting 6,5 million tons of liquid steel a year, supplying roughly three quarters of all the steel consumed in South Africa.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet shows a detailed illustration of Iscor's blast furnace, its tall structure of pipes and gantries rendered in warm browns and ochres against the plain cream cover. A caption beneath identifies it as "Hoogoond · Blast Furnace". Below that the corporation's full bilingual name runs along the bottom of the cover. The single stamp sits in the top right, a stylised steel rail shown in cross section against a deep brown background, marking Iscor's fiftieth anniversary. A circular postmark cancels the stamp, the corporation's triangular logo at its centre with "Yskor 50 Iscor" and "Staalhof" below.
Information Card
SOUTH AFRICAN IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION, LIMITED The South African Iron and Steel Industrial Corporation, Limited, better known as Iscor, was established in 1928 in terms of the Iron and Steel Industry Act (Act 11 of 1928), with the object of producing iron and a range of steel products from indigenous raw materials. In April 1934 the first steel was tapped at the new steelworks just outside Pretoria, which was erected with a capacity of only 160 000 ingot tons a year. However, this tonnage soon proved too low for the growing demand and a start was made with extensions. Only five years later, immediately prior to the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the annual production figure already exceeded 312 000 ingot tons. The war made heavy demands on the young steel industry but Iscor was quite capable of meeting the challenge and in the first post-war year ingot production had already risen to 473 000 tons. In 1947 it was decided to erect a second fully integrated steelworks at Vanderbijlpark, where a plate mill had been built in 1942. Within a few years an ultra-modern steelworks arose where there had previously been only grass plains and maize fields. The joint annual steel production of the two works amounted to more than 1 million tons in 1953 and exceeded 4 million tons in 1973. Since Iscor's earliest days its production capacity has been gradually increased by means of successive extension and modernization programmes and it is planned to raise annual production to a target of about 6,5 million tons of liquid steel by 1978/79. Early in 1972 Iscor started building its third integrated steelworks at Newcastle and the first steel was tapped in March 1974. Phase I of the construction work at Newcastle has been completed, bringing the liquid-steel capacity of this works to approximately 1,8 million tons. Further extensions will follow at a later stage. Since the end of 1976 Iscor has been exporting iron ore on a large scale from its enormous reserves at Sishen. For this purpose a special railway line was built from Sishen to Saldanha Bay, where a modern export harbour was constructed. In addition to producing about three quarters of all the steel consumed in the Republic, Iscor is also earning vital foreign currency with its overseas ore sales and the steel it is presently exporting to several foreign countries. SUID-AFRIKAANSE YSTER EN STAAL INDUSTRIËLE KORPORASIE, BEPERK Die Suid-Afrikaanse Yster en Staal Industriële Korporasie, Beperk, beter bekend as Yskor, het in 1928 tot stand gekom kragtens die Yster- en Staalnywerheid Wet (Wet 11 van 1928), met die doel om yster en 'n reeks staalprodukte uit inheemse grondstowwe te produseer. In April 1934 is die eerste staal getap by die nuwe staalwerke net buite Pretoria, wat opgerig is met 'n kapasiteit van slegs 160 000 gietblokton per jaar. Hierdie tonnemaat het egter spoedig te laag geblyk te wees vir die groeiende vraag en daar is met uitbreidings begin. Slegs vyf jaar later, net voor die uitbreek van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog in 1939, was die jaarlikse produksiesyfer al meer as 312 000 gietblokton. Die oorlog het hoë eise aan die jong staalnywerheid gestel maar Yskor was opgewasse vir die taak en gedurende die eerste jaar na die oorlog het die gietblokproduksie reeds tot 473 000 ton gestyg. In 1947 is daar besluit om 'n tweede geïntegreerde staalwerke op te rig by Vanderbijlpark, waar 'n plaatwalswerke in 1942 gebou is. Binne enkele jare verrys daar 'n uiters moderne staalwerke waar voorheen net grasvelde en mielielande was. In 1953 beloop die jaarlikse staalproduksie van die twee werke saam meer as 1 miljoen ton, en in 1973 oor die 4 miljoen ton. Sedert die vroegste dae van Yskor is sy produksievermoë geleidelik deur middel van agtereenvolgende uitbreidings- en moderniseringsprogramme verhoog en die mikpunt is om die jaarlikse produksie te verhoog tot sowat 6,5 miljoen ton vloeistaal teen 1978/79. Vroeg in 1972 het Yskor begin bou aan sy derde geïntegreerde staalwerke by Newcastle en die eerste staal is in Maart 1974 getap. Fase I van die konstruksiewerk by Newcastle is voltooi, wat die vloeistaalkapasiteit van hierdie werke op sowat 1,8 miljoen ton te staan bring. Later sal verdere uitbreidings volg. Sedert die einde van 1976 is Yskor besig om op groot skaal ystererts van sy ontsaglike reserwes by Sishen uit te voer. Vir dié doel is 'n spesiale spoorlyn gebou van Sishen na Saldanhabaai, waar 'n moderne uitvoerhawe gebou is. Behalwe dat die Korporasie sowat driekwart van al die staal produseer wat die Republiek verbruik, verdien hy ook uiters noodsaaklike buitelandse valuta met sy ertsverkope oorsee en die staal wat hy tans na verskeie oorsese lande uitvoer.
Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.
Addressed: No
Signed: No
Stamp denomination: R0.24 (ZAR)
SG reference: 441
SAPO serial number: 3.8
Estimated value: ~US$0.06
This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.
This first day cover (FDC) is part of Southern Covers, a private collection of 211 first day covers documenting the postal history and philately of South Africa and the homeland states. New to first day cover collecting? Read the guide to learn about cachets, postmarks, and stamp collecting terms, or browse the whole collection of Southern African FDCs.
