For previous generations the postal service was the only way to stay connected and Potchefstroom had numerous post offices. Now it seems that the postal world is slowly starting to fade away. This became more apparent with the closing of the Noordburg post office by the end of December 2022.
In my article on how Potchefstroom became connected (https://lenniegouws.co.za/how-potchefstroom-became-connected/ ) I gave an overview of the buildings that housed the main post office of Potchefstroom.
With this article we will have a look at the other post offices of Potchefstroom.
Postal service officially commenced in 1850. Apart from the main post office numerous other branch offices opened all over the town and the then far-reaching district. By as early as 1911 a number of 34 branch post offices had opened with Potchefstroom as the “mother post office”. Over the years about 80 post offices branched off Potchefstroom. Most of those came and went.
One of the earliest postmarks of Potchefstroom. Photo: Photo: Gawie van der Walt Postcard Collection* (Further referred to as “GvdW”)
This information was obtained from philately enthusiast, Alex Visser, who compiled a list of all post offices in South Africa, when they opened and when they closed. Exact dates are difficult to ascertain, he says, and in many instances only the year in which a specific post office opened or closed is available.
The first branch office of Potchefstroom was Klerksdorp which opened in 1853. Schoemansrust was second and opened on 10 November 1869, but closed in 1898. The third was Hartbeesfontein that opened on 19 May 1873 and, like Klerksdorp, is one of the few that are still open.
Military post offices
After the Anglo-Boer War Potchefstroom became a garrison town and 2 000 soldiers were stationed here. There was even space for as many as 10 000 in the cantonments, as the military garrison was known.
Geoffrey Jenkins in A century of history quoted a visitor to Potchefstroom who described the military cantonments:
The Cantonments are a revelation to the visitor. Away in the veld where three years ago there was nothing but grass, a veritable city has arisen, a city of galvanised iron with long, well-laid out streets, rows of red-roofed houses, immense stables, hospitals, schools, recreation grounds, polo grounds, clubs, reading rooms, post and telegraph offices, and all the appurtenances of civilisation.
This large new settlement necessitated the opening of a post office. It was known as Cantonment 2, since there were also Cantonment post offices at Middelburg, Pretoria and Standerton. This post office functioned from 1 July 1903 to 1 March 1919.
A postcard published at the beginning of the 20th century shows the post office at the cantonments bottom right. Top right is the “Head Quarter House” or as it was later generally known, the “General’s House”. The house was declared a National Monument in 1982 and in spite of attempts to restore and save it, it burned down in a veld fire in 2020. See my article: https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/potchefstroom-has-lost-one-its-grand-old-buildings Photo: GvdW
This postcard bears the postmark of the Cantonments from 1905. The “S.A.C.” pertains to the South African Constabulary, a semi-military police force established in the former republics to maintain peace. The Olympic marathon gold-medallist, Kenneth McArthur, was a member of the SAC and I described the SAC in my biography on McArthur which is available on amazon.com. Photo: GvdW
Above the door a sign indicates that this is a military post office. The photo is in the collection of the Potchefstroom Museum and the military post office might be the one in Potchefstroom. Note the make-shift letter-box to the right of the door and mail bags lying in front.
In 1923 the Potchefstroom Kamp post office opened to serve the military area, but closed in 1929. In 1940 it re-opened and was closed in 1996.
A post office also existed at the Potchefstroom concentration camp. In an article published in the Anglo-Boer War Philatelist local philatelist, Gawie van der Walt wrote that “covers” (a term used by philatelists for envelopes) with the stamp of the “Burgher Camp Potchefstroom” are very scarce. For more on the Potchefstroom concentration camp, see my article: https://lenniegouws.co.za/what-happened-in-the-potchefstroom-concentration-camp/
The three covers of the Potchefstroom Burgher Camp in the collection of Gawie van der Walt, as it appeared in the Anglo-Boer War Philatelist.
From North Bridge to Noordbrug
The first inhabitants of the area between the Wasgoedspruit and the Mooi River, now known as “Die Bult”, was the mill-owners. See my article: https://lenniegouws.co.za/a-fresh-look-at-the-historic-mills-of-potchefstroom/
At the beginning of the 20th century some settlement occurred where the Spar and Shell Garage are today. The area was known as “Groenpunt” but this name became unpopular due to the large prisoner-of-war camp with the same name in Cape Town.
The nearest building visible might be the mill that stood where the Conservatory is today. The dark line that crosses the picture in the middle might be a mill stream that served the mills which stood across the road from where the Theological School is today. Photo: GvdW
The North Bridge post office opened in February 1904 to serve this area. It kept this name until October 1936 when it was changed to Noordbrug.
A postmark for North Bridge from 1909. Photo: sapostmarks.co.za
Older residents remembered that the post office was in Molen Street. During the 1970s and early 1980s the Noordbrug post office was in Borcherds Street just east of the corner with Tom Street (Steve Biko). It relocated to the Inloma Building in Esselen Street approximately during the late 1980’s and later to the building where it was housed until recently.
The Noordbrug post office was housed in Borcherd Street during the 1970s. Street. Photo: GvdW
This postcard from the early 1900’s depicts the hotel at Venterskroon in the Vredefort Dome area. A post office opened at Venterskroon in 1888 and existed until 1968 when it was closed on the 22 July. It was hosted by the general dealer or “handelshuis”. Photo: GvdW
Serving all communities
At the beginning of the 20th century a post office also existed in the “Indian Bazaar”. It probably opened in the beginning of January 1905 and existed until 1910. The address of this post office is not known. There was a group of shops owned by Indians north of the church square in Potgieter Street. Another group of shops owned by Indian shopkeepers was situated between the Location also known as Makweteng, south of Maherry Street, and Jeugd Street in Kerk Street (Walter Sisulu).
Another post office in this area served the community of Makweteng. The Willem Klopperville post office was opened in 1953 and closed on 24 January 1964. It was named after the superintendent of Location. An article on the history of Makweteng appeared in my book Stories of Potchefstroom.
An envelope or “cover” with postmarks of the Willem Klopperville post office. Photo: postmarks.co.za
Mr Willem Klopper was supervisor of Makweteng during the 1950s. The area was also known as Willem Klopperville, hence the name of the post office. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
Although the Ikageng Township was already proclaimed in 1954 and residents started moving in in 1958, the Ikageng post office, according to the list provided by Alex Visser, only opened in 2000. The Promosa post office opened in 1988.
Post offices in town
Most of the list of branch offices with the Potchefstroom post office as mother office served the district, of which a selected list appears at the bottom of this article. Post offices in the town itself, however, are worth mentioning:
President Pretorius post office
On 8 July 1966 the Potchefstroom Herald reported that the President Pretorius post office, formerly Wasgoedspruit post office, will be closing down. This post office was opened on 1 June 1958, but the name was changed to the President Pretorius post office on 3 July 1962. According to Gawie van der Walt, this post office was situated at 8 Boshoff Street, near the back end of the Potchefstroom Academy (former synagogue). The post office also had a training facility, according to Gawie van der Walt. In front was the counter used by the public with the training facility at the back. It closed down when the new post office on the corner of Greyling (OR Tambo) and Wolmarans Streets opened. The official closing date, according to the list compiled by Alex Visser, was 19 June 1967.
A rare example of the Wasgoedspruit registered letter postmark.
The caption of this photo, which appeared in the Potchefstroom Herald, on 8 July 1966, indicated that Miss I Simpson was for the last time posting a letter at the President Pretorius post office, in view of the imminent closure of the post office.
Cachet post office
In Malherbe Street, just south of the crossing with Von Wielligh (Albert Luthuli) Street was the Cachet post office which opened in 1968. It closed in 1996.
Baillie Park post office
The post office was situated in the shopping complex where Spar is today and was nearest to Otto Street. It opened on 10 May 1982 and closed on 31 July 2009.
Kockspark post office
The Kockspark post office opened in Maherry Street on 29 August 1961 and closed permanently in 2022.
Potchefstroom station
The railway line to Potchefstroom opened in 1897 and it then had its own post office, but it closed in 1899.
Riverwalk post office
The newest post office to open was in the River Walk Centre and it opened on 9 September 2004 but since then had closed down.
Post offices in the district
The list below is a selection of the post offices that had Potchefstroom as their “mother post office”:
The Boskop postmark. Photo: sapostmarks.co.za
- Boschkop 2 1908-09-01 – 1913-07-31
- Boskop 1948-11-08 –*
- Dovesdale 1903-07-01 – 1962-10-29
- Eleazer 1914-03-01 – 1961-01-23
- Enselspruit 1949-10-21 – 1977-06-30
- Frederikstad 1897-02-01 – 1914-12-31
- Frederikstad Rail 1914-12-31 – 1965-03-22
- Frederickstad Camp 1914 – 1914
- Katdoornbosch 1890-01-01 – 1895-12-31
- Klington 1911-01-01 – 1916-05-01
- Klipdrif 1947-03-03 – 1976-09-06
- Kolonies Plaats 1909-12-31 – 1911-01-01
- Kraal kop 1903-02-06 – 1933-01-23
- Losberg 1897-10-01 – 1954-01-04
- Loopspruit 1913-07-01 – 1976-07-05
- Maquassi 1874-10-07 – 1953-12-31
- Mooibank 1904-11-01 – 1978-06-05
- New Machavie 1962-01-29 – ??
- New Machavie station 1937-07-05 – 1962-01-29
- Scandinavia Drift 1926-11-01 – 1953-12-31
- Skandinawiedrif 1953-12-31 – 1972-11-06
- Ventersdorp 1877-10-25 OPEN
- Vyfhoek 1912-01-01 – 1978-09-05
*According to Alex Visser Boskop post office is now hosted by an agent.
In Potchefstroom itself the only post offices still open, after Noordbrug closed, are the main post office and the ones in Ikageng and Promosa.
This resulted in a very important part of the connectivity history of Potchefstroom almost coming to a close. The detritus of this once large institution is the many postage stamps, “covers”, postcards and other information about postal history which still keep a vibrant group of philatelists busy. It is resulting from the many endeavours of this group we can still trace postal history, an integral part of our society.
Many thanks to philatelists, Gawie van der Walt and Alex Visser, who provided much needed information.
