Telkom SA Establishment

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This cover is postmarked on 1 October 1991 in Pretoria. It marks the establishment of Telkom SA Limited, the new telecommunications company formed when the old Department of Posts and Telecommunications split into two separate entities. The split came about through the Post Office Amendment Bill, approved on 5 June 1991 and published in the Government Gazette two weeks later. The reasoning was straightforward. Postal services are labour intensive while telecommunications is capital intensive, and the two businesses needed very different management approaches to function well. One detail worth noting is scale. At the time of this split, Telkom already had more than three million main telephone lines installed across South Africa, growing at roughly eight percent a year. That growth had to serve two very different markets at once, from basic first time telephone access through to advanced data and text communication services.

Description of the Cachet

The cachet shows a photograph of the Telkom building in Pretoria. Shot from a low angle looking straight up, the building's facade fills most of the frame. Its dark glass panels and pale concrete columns run in tall repeating lines toward the sky. Vermeulen Street and Vermeulenstraat are printed along the base together with the number 175 for the Pretoria address. The angle gives the design a strong sense of scale and height. It captures the corporate presence of the newly formed Telkom SA in a single striking shot rather than a symbolic illustration. The bilingual title below reads Establishment of Telkom SA Ltd and Stigting van Telkom SA Bpk. Two triangular Telkom emblems appear beside the building photograph, echoed again in the postmark itself. The stamp above shows the same diamond pushbutton dial logo in blue with rows of grey, green and blue dots representing the network Telkom was built to run.

Information Card

THE SA POST OFFICE LIMITED AND TELKOM SA LIMITED The Post Office Amendment Bill, as approved by the State President on 5 June 1991 and promulgated in the Government Gazette on 18 June 1991, makes provision for the separation of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications into two autonomous companies with the State as sole shareholder. The major reason for the separation of the Department is the divergent nature of these two industries which necessitate totally different management styles. The postal service, for instance, is labour intensive while telecommunication is capital intensive. The new companies, the SA Post Office Limited and Telkom SA Limited, come into being on 1 October 1991. The South African Post Office Limited The new emblem of the SA Post Office Limited is a flying envelope and other postal representations of the postal service, one flying day, the SA Post Office places a high priority on effective customer services. Postal articles are being delivered daily by means of 850 000 post office boxes, 150 000 post office boxes en post correspondence, and 2,3 million addresses. One of the world's largest chain post correspondence systems has been installed at Kempton in Pretoria which include the SA Post Office main frame and focus, More than 20 international mail volumes centre are involved. This unit, stretching over 2,2 kilometres and almost five storeys, can convey more than 7,7 million postal articles each working day, plans the SA Post Office places a high priority. Furthermore, the SA Post Office Limited processes and other postal requisites of assistant quality, and serves more than 60 000 registered philatelic clients worldwide. As INTER-SASA stays at forefront and open a wide array of services for the design and printing of stamps for Namibia, Transkei, Boputhatswana, Venda and Ciskei. Counter services are the strongest point of the Post Office. Transactions include agency services such as the paying of televisions license, the ordering out of samsonite for basic telephone services. There are already well in excess of three million main telephone service revenues in South Africa and this figure is still growing at a rate of approximately eight per cent per year. Telkom SA Limited Telkom SA is vested with its fields of business, the need to address the client's requirements were forefront. The four businesses as defined are: Corporate services and products Client services and products International services Information services Despite unfavourable economic circumstances, there is an ever increasing demand for basic telephone services. There are already well in excess of three million main telephone service revenues in South Africa and this figure is still growing at a rate of approximately eight per cent per year. Telkom has to provide a very basic service to the large Third World component of the South African population and at the same time satisfy the highly sophisticated telecommunication needs of a smaller First World component. Telkom stays at the forefront of technological development in the fields of not only telephony, but also text and data communications. Telkom is dedicated to being Africa's leading and most respected provider of excellent client services, whilst fulfilling its social responsibility and maintaining a sound financial structure. The logo of Telkom SA Limited, a pushbutton dial, is depicted on the stamp. DIE SA POSKANTOOR BEPERK EN TELKOM SA BEPERK Die Poskantoorwysigingswetsontwerp wat op 5 Junie 1991 deur die Staatspresident goedgekeur en op 18 Junie 1991 in die Staatskoerant gepubliseer is, maak voorsiening vir die verdeling van die Departement van Pos- en Telekommunikasiewese in twee outonome ondernemings met die Staat as enigste aandeelhouer. Die belangrikste rede vir die verdeling van die Departement is die uiteenlopende aard van die twee bedrywe, wat heeltemal verskillende bestuurstyle vereis. Die posdiens is byvoorbeeld arbeidsintensief terwyl die Telekommunikasiewese kapitaalintensief is. Die nuwe maatskappye, die SA Poskantoor Beperk en Telkom SA Beperk, kom op 1 Oktober 1991 tot stand. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Poskantoor Beperk Die nuwe embleem van die SA Poskantoor Beperk is 'n vlieënde koevert. In die hantering van sy dienste en behuurdighede stel die SA Poskantoor hoë prioriteit aan doeltreffende kliëntediens. Posartikels word gelewer deur middel van 850 000 poskantoorboksliggetes, 150 000 poskantoorbokse en posgevoerde adresse afgelewer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Poskantoor het sy grootste ketting-poskorrespondensiestelsels by die Hoofposkantoor op Kempton in Pretoria geïnstalleer. Die eenheid, wat oor 2,2 kilometer en amper vyf verdiepings strek, kan meer as 20 internasionale ligkerwe verwerk oor na 65 lande wat deur die SA Poskantoor bedien word. Die afdeling Filatelistiese Dienste vir en ander posbenodighede lewer besigheidsklanti kwaliteit en behartig meer as 60 000 ingeskrewe filateliste wêreldwyd. As INTER-SASA sluit vir belde en ook agent en verd seëls ontwerp en druk vir Namibië, Transkei, Boputhatswana, Venda en Ciskei. Toonbankdienste is die toonvoerder van die Poskantoor. Transaksies sluit dienste van agentskappe in soos die betaling van televisielisensies, die bestellings van Voorpiek- en betaling van telefoonrekenings. 'n Groot verantwoordelike is 'n gerekenariseerde stelsel wat die betalingpuntte te bespieging. Telkom SA Beperk Die embleem van Telkom SA Beperk is 'n drukknopwyserplaat, wat op die seël uitgebeeld word. Telkom SA se vier besighede stem daarvoor om die behoeftes van telekommunikasie ontmagtiging het die vier besighede as die volgende gedefiniëer: Korporatiewe dienste en produkte Kliëntedienste Internasionale dienste Inligtingsdienste Ten spyte van ongunstige ekonomiese omstandighede is daar 'n toenemende vraag na basiese telefoondienste. Reeds is meer as drie miljoen hooftelefoondienste in Suid-Afrika bereikbaar, en hierdie syfer groei steeds teen 'n koers van sowat agt persent per jaar. Telkom moet 'n baie basiese diens bied aan die grootste Derdewêreld-komponent van die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking terwyl dit terselfdertyd verskaf terwyl dit die hoogs gesofistikeerde telekommunikasiebehoeftes van die kleiner Eerstewêreld-komponent moet voorsien. Telkom bevyer daarvan om die toonaangewende en mees gesaghebbende verskaffer van uitnemende telekommunikasiedienste en -produkte in Afrika te wees, terwyl dit sy maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid nakom en 'n gesonde finansiële struktuur handhaaf. Die embleem van Telkom SA Beperk, 'n drukknoppostakleisstaeisel, word op die seël uitgebeeld.

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