PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

South Africa, Cape Town · 1984-09-03

Official

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front

Cachet: The cachet on this cover is dominated by a large South African flag of the pre-1994 design, its orange, white and blue bands filling most of the left side. Below the flag the motto "Ex Unitate Vires" appears in flowing gold foil script, the Latin form of the words later echoed on the coat of arms stamp itself. The word "Spesiaal · Special" sits beneath the motto in plain black type, marking this out as a special issue rather than a standard commemorative. A small blue diamond marker with "PT 4.9" appears in the lower left corner. Four stamps run across the top of the cover, the first two carrying the full Preamble to the Constitution in English and Afrikaans, the third showing a stylised temple facade beside the opening lines of the national anthem, and the fourth showing the national coat of arms in full colour. Two Cape Town postmarks, each reading "RSA" above "Kaapstad · Cape Town", cancel the stamps.

Info card

Info card cannot be accessed. But the stamps themselves contain the following: PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION IN HUMBLE SUBMISSION to Almighty God, Who controls the destinies of peoples and nations, Who gathered our forebears together from many lands and gave them this their own, Who has guided them from generation to generation, Who has wondrously delivered them from the dangers that beset them, WE DECLARE THAT WE ARE CONSCIOUS of our responsibility towards God and man; ARE CONVINCED of the necessity of standing united and of pursuing the following national goals: To uphold Christian values and civilised norms, with recognition and protection of freedom of faith and worship; To safeguard the integrity and freedom of our country; To uphold the independence of the judiciary and the equality of all under the law; To secure the maintenance of law and order; To further the contentment and the spiritual and material welfare of all; To respect and to protect the human dignity, life, liberty and property of all our midst; To respect, to further and to protect the self-determination of population groups and peoples; To further private initiative and effective competition; ARE PREPARED TO ACCEPT our duty to seek world peace in association with all peace-loving peoples and nations; and ARE DESIROUS OF GIVING THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA A CONSTITUTION for elected and responsible forms of government and which will best suited to the traditions, history and circumstances of our land: AANHEF VAN DIE GRONDWET IN NEDERIGE ERKENTLIKHEID teenoor die Almagtige God, Beskikker oor die lotgevalle van volke en nasies, Wat ons voorgeslagte uit baie lande byeengebring en hulle hier in hul eie geswydig het, Wat hul deur geslagte begeef het, Wat hulle so wonderbaarlik deur gevare gelei het, VERKLAAR ONS dat ons BEWUS IS van ons verantwoordelikheid teenoor God en die mensdom; OORTUIG IS van die noodsaaklikheid daarvan om verenig te staan en om die volgende nasionale doelwitte na te streef: Om Christelike waardes en beskaafde norme te handhaaf, met erkenning en beskerming van vryheid van geloof en aanbidding; Om die onafhanklikheid van ons land te bewaring; Om die onafhanklikheid van die regbank en die gelykheid van almal voor die reg te handhaaf; Om die reg en orde te handhaaf; Om die geluk en die geestelike en stoflike welvaart van almal te bevorder; Om die menswaardigheid, lewe, vryheid en eiendom van almal in ons midde te eerbiedig en te beskerm; Om die selfbeskikking van bevolkingsgroepe en volke te eerbiedig, te bevorder en te beskerm; Om private inisiatief en doeltreffende mededinging te bevorder; BEREID IS om ons plig te aanvaar om na wêreldvrede te streef in assosiasie met alle vredeliewende volke en nasies; en AAN DIE REPUBLIEK VAN SUID-AFRIKA WIL GEE 'n verfyning van staak vir verkose en verantwoordelike regeringsvorme wat die beste sal aanpas by die tradisies, geskiedenis en omstandighede van ons vaderland:

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 3 September 1984 in Cape Town. It carries a set of four stamps marking the introduction of South Africa's new tricameral constitution that year, illustrated by Gerhard Mynhardt. The first two stamps in the set reproduce the full Preamble to the Constitution in both official languages, making this one of the few South African issues to carry an entire piece of legislative text across its stamps.

Theme: National Events

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

Addressed: No

Signed: No

Stamp denomination: R0.77 (ZAR)

SAPO serial number: 4.9

Estimated value: ~US$0.1

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