MZAMBA WILD COAST HOLIDAY COMPLEX

Transkei, Bzana · 1983-05-25

Official

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front

Cachet: The cachet on this cover shows a Jack of Spades playing card set beneath a red dice shaker with a single die resting against it, evoking the casino theme of the resort being marked. The illustration is bold and graphic, with the deep red tones of the shaker contrasting against the crisp black and white detailing of the card. A hexagonal postmark design sits in the upper left corner, its clover shaped centre echoing the card suit motif carried through the rest of the cachet. The series marking "1.30" appears in the lower left corner beside a small logo. Four stamps fill the top right corner in a block, each illustrated by A H Barrett and showing a different feature of the Mzamba resort, from the hotel complex to the casino floor. A single hexagonal postmark cancels the block.

Info card

THE WILD COAST HOLIDAY COMPLEX, MZAMBA The Wild Coast of Transkei is famous for its rugged grandeur and unspoilt beaches. Therefore, when a luxury holiday resort was erected at Mzamba on a 750 ha site between the Mtumvana and Mzamba Rivers, the utmost care was taken not to disturb the ecology and to preserve the natural beauty of the area. This complex, comprising a hotel, casino and facilities for day-trippers, has been designed to blend in with the surrounding landscape. The hotel offers sumptuous accommodation in magnificent luxury suites as well as in spacious family units. The guest area incorporates the Lagoon Bar offering a panoramic view of the shore, a solarium with floor-to-ceiling windows, a heated indoor swimming-pool, a tidal pool and a children's pool. The conference centre can accommodate up to 300 people and can also be subdivided to house smaller groups. All the latest conference-aids, including up-to-date audio-visual equipment, are available. Sports facilities are many and varied. The spectacular 18-hole golf-course spans a ravine, crosses a waterfall and incorporates all the natural beauty of the area. It was designed by Bobby Trent-Jones and requires of players a combination of skill and daring. There are two championship bowling-rinks, squash courts with viewing galleries, all-weather tenniscourts with floodlighting, a gymnasium and a health studio. There is a putt-putt course at the Beachcomber centre for casual visitors and provision is made for water-skiing, jet-skiing, wind-surfing and canoeing. The sharknet-protected waters of Thompson's Lagoon offer safe swimming, and both river and deep-sea fishing are catered for. The beach, a paradise for shell-hunters, provides an uninterrupted 4 kilometres for early morning jogging. The casino offers exciting entertainment in various forms, and diversion can also be found in the discotheque, the cinema or the theatre. The culinary preferences of guests are catered for by a snack bar, a grill and a luxury restaurant. The magic of Mzamba lies in the unusual combination of sophistication and unspoilt beauty offered by this holiday resort.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 25 May 1983. It carries a set of four Transkei stamps illustrated by A H Barrett, each showing a different feature of the Wild Coast Holiday Complex at Mzamba, from the hotel and beach to the casino and carousel. The resort's 18-hole golf course, designed by Bobby Trent-Jones, was built to span a ravine and cross a waterfall, incorporating the site's natural terrain rather than levelling it for play.

Theme: Heritage

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

Addressed: No

Signed: No

SAPO serial number: 1.30

Estimated value: ~US$0.1

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