Article and Photos by Major Lizette Lombard, Staff Officer 2 SA Army Signal Formation, Corporate Communication

9 October 2012, celebrated world wide as World Post Day, has new significance for 11 Field Postal Unit, a reserve force unit under command of SA Army Signal Formation, as it saw the launch of a set of 10 stamps and two first-day covers by the South African Post Office, honouring the services rendered by the unit. The launch took place during a prestigious ceremony held at Waterkloof Air Force Base, with many VIP guests in attendance, such as the Deputy Minister of Communications, Mrs Stella Tembisa Ndabeni.

In her address Ms Mthethwa, board member of the South African Post Office, mentioned the theme for World Post Day is “The Post, an invaluable public service worldwide”, an appropriate theme in celebrating 11 Field Postal Unit.

The stamps illustrate various activities relating to 11 Field Postal Unit. These include: Parcels being accepted at Field Post Office 3, Air Force Base Waterkloof, parcels being scanned before being dispatched, mail loaded into a Hercules C130 aircraft at AFB Waterkloof from where it is transported to mission areas in Africa, soldiers awaiting mail from home at a field post office, field post office personnel checking mail and soldiers receiving parcels and posting letters. The artist responsible for the artwork on the stamps is Mr Jerry Lion.

Major General Keith M. Mokoape, Chief SA Army Reserves said “11 Field Postal Unit is a specialist unit with the mission of ensuring that wherever soldiers are deployed, they are in communication with their loved ones, can manage their lives, and thus concentrate on their core tasks”.

11 Field Postal Unit was established on 1 October 1964, after negotiations between the South African Defence Force and the South African Post Office. The unit and Field Post Office 3 are situated just outside the main entrance to Waterkloof Air Force Base, Pretoria. The unit has two post offices in Goma, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, one in Lubumbashi, Katanga Region, two in Darfur, Sudan and one in Bangui, Central African Republic.

Field Post Office 3 offers a range of value added services, such as electronic money transfers, Post Bank transactions, municipality accounts, pre-paid phone cards and internet services, and various types of purchases. The FPO3 distributed 246 000 tons of post and handled 31 900 parcels in 2011. In 2012, up to date 14 922 parcels have been handled.

11 Field Postal Unit have not only left their “stamp” in history, through the launch of the stamp set and first day covers, they leave a “stamp” every day in the lives of deployed soldiers and their loved ones, ensuring that all important letter or parcel from home is “delivered whatever it takes”. 

Artist of the ten stamps and two first day covers, Mr Jerry Lion	From Left to Right: Officer Commanding 11 Field Post Office Unit, Lieutenant Colonel L.M. de Villiers, Regimental Sergeant Major 11 Field Post Office Unit, Senior Warrant Officer SWO G. Botes and Second in Command 11 Field Post Office Unit, Major F.J.D. Potgieter, holding a set of the 10 stamps and two first day covers.

Ten Stamps and Two First Day Covers