List of postal codes in South Africa
Post Codes were introduced in South Africa on 8 October 1973, with the introduction of automated sorting.[1]
Format
South African post codes consist of four digits. Mail may be delivered either to the physical address or to a PO Box, particularly in rural areas where no street delivery is available. In addition, many large organisations may use Private Bag addresses, with mail dispatched to the holder by a mail contractor.
In the case of cities and large towns, however, the last two digits of the postcode indicate the mode of delivery.[2] The digits "01" indicate a street address and "00" a PO Box or Private Bag address, with addresses in Port Elizabeth, for example, using the following format:[3]
300 Kempston Road Port Elizabeth 6001
PO Box 1840 Port Elizabeth 6000
In Pretoria, however, a different format is used, with "02" indicating a street address, and "01" indicating a PO Box or Private Bag address.[4]
370 Church Street Pretoria 0002
PO Box 427 Pretoria 0001
A feature of South African postal addresses, also common to Australia, is that it is only necessary to include the suburb, not the city, for example, in the case of Yeoville in Johannesburg:[5]
43 Cavendish Road Yeoville 2198
Former post codes
The South African post code system was previously used in Namibia, then "South West Africa", including the enclave of Walvis Bay, which remained part of South Africa until 1994. It was allocated the number range 9000–9299.[6]
Following independence, use of the South African postcode system was discontinued.[7]
List of post code ranges
Post code boundaries do not follow provincial borders exactly, especially since the re–organisation of provinces in 1994.
| Code Range | Area |
| Northern Region (Gauteng, Mpumalanga, most of North West, Limpopo) | |
|---|---|
| 0001–0299 | Gauteng—Pretoria/Tshwane |
| 0300–0499 | North West—northern part |
| 0500–0698 | Limpopo—south and west |
| 0699–0999 | Limpopo—north and east |
| 1000–1399 | Mpumalanga—Northern half |
| 1400–1699 | Gauteng—East Rand / Ekurhuleni Metro |
| 1700–1799 | Gauteng—West Rand, Mogale City/Krugersdorp, Roodepoort (now part of Johannesburg) |
| 1800–1999 | Gauteng—Soweto and Vereeniging/Vanderbijlpark Region (Motsweding) |
| 2000–2199 | Gauteng—Johannesburg (original Johannesburg, Randburg, Sandton) |
| 2200–2499 | Mpumalanga—southern half |
| 2500–2899 | Northwest Province—southern and central |
| Eastern Region (KwaZulu-Natal, eastern part of Eastern Cape) | |
| 2900–3199 | KwaZulu-Natal—Northern KwaZulu-Natal |
| 3200–3299 | KwaZulu-Natal—Pietermaritzburg and surrounds |
| 3300–3599 | KwaZulu-Natal—Midlands |
| 3600–3799 | KwaZulu-Natal—Region between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, including satellite towns, such as Westville. |
| 3800–3999 | KwaZulu-Natal—Zululand Region (including Richards Bay) |
| 4000–4099 | KwaZulu-Natal—Durban / Ethekwini (original area) |
| 4100–4299 | KwaZulu-Natal—South Coast |
| 4300–4499 | KwaZulu-Natal—North Coast |
| 4500–4730 | KwaZulu-Natal—Griqualand East and Umzimkulu |
| Southern Region (Eastern Cape, eastern parts of Western Cape) | |
| 4731–5199 | Eastern Cape—Former Transkei |
| 5200–5299 | Eastern Cape—East London |
| 5300–5499 | Eastern Cape—historical "Border" region |
| 5500–5999 | Eastern Cape—Northern part |
| 6000–6099 | Eastern Cape—Port Elizabeth |
| 6100–6499 | Eastern Cape—Western part |
| Western Region (Western Cape and western part of Northern Cape) | |
| 6500–6699 | Western Cape—Garden Route and Oudtshoorn area |
| 6700–6899 | Western Cape—Klein Karoo |
| 6900–7099 | Western Cape—Great Karoo |
| 7100–7299 | Western Cape—Area south-east of Cape Town |
| 7300–7399 | Western Cape—West Coast |
| 7400–7599 | Western Cape—Northern Suburbs of Cape Metropole |
| 7600–7699 | Western Cape—Areas East of Cape Town, such as Stellenbosch |
| 7700–8099 | Western Cape—Cape Town and Cape Peninsula |
| 8100–8299 | Northern Cape—Namaqualand Region |
| Central Region (Northern Cape and Free State) | |
| 8300–8799 | Northern Cape—Eastern Part |
| 8800–8999 | Northern Cape—Gordonia Region |
| 9000–9299 | formerly assigned to South West Africa[6] |
| 9300–9399 | Free State—Bloemfontein and surrounds |
| 9400–9699 | Free State—Northern Free State |
| 9700–9899 | Free State—Eastern Free State |
| 9900–9999 | Free State—Southern Free State |
References
- South Africa 1978: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, Department of Information, 1978, page 445
- South Africa, Universal Postal Union,
- "Kempston Car Rental - Port Elizabeth". Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- "South African Reserve Bank". Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- Yeoville - St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Est. 1912
- South African Panorama - Volume 22, South African Information Service, 1977, page 9
- The comprehensive handbook of the postmarks of German South West Africa, South West Africa, Namibia, Ralph F. Putzel, R.F. Putzel, 1991, page 173