South African Republic

The South African Republic, 'Distributor of Stamps’ was a separate department from the Post Office and therefore not under the control of the Postmaster General. Their responsibility is set out below in the 'Postal Law No. 18, of 1898'.

South African Postal Law No. 18, 1898

For the Regulation of the Postal Department in the South African Republic.

17. The Stamp Master on being requested so to do, shall supply the Postmaster General with as many stamps and other means of franking as are required by him, and it shall not be lawful to supply the same to anybody else.

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The Transvaal Legislative Assembly, ‘Public Service and Pensions Bill’ Debate, 1908, opened in July, The Bill provided that the old Civil Servants of the South African Republic shall receive gratuities or pensions in respect to their old service before the Republic was annexed by the British forces on 1^st September 1900.

Not all of the Officials of the South African Republic were re-employed by the British after the 1900 annexation, if fact one Hon. Member reminded the Legislative Assembly that "… by 1908, six years after the South African War, there were still men applying for their old positions, which they had held in various Government Departments of the South African Republic. While another Hon. Member said that "The Civil Service was now according crowded." Therefore, it was unlikely that re-employment would be obtainable for many more years, if ever.

The Royal Assent was given on 22^nd of August, 1908 by "SELBORNE, GOVERNOR. By Command of His Excellency the Governor-in-Council, LOUS BOTHA, Prime Minister."

Below are the names of nine Officials who were recorded in the 'South African Republic Officials Pensions Commission' set up in 1908 and operated until January 1910.

* Full name (where known),
* Position and place of last appointment held on 11th October 1899,
* Years employed by the South African Republic,
* Salary,
* Gratuity or Pension recommended,
* Where living in 1908/1909,
* If deceased before 1908/1909.

Distributor of Stamps -

Albertijn, Willem Lennox / Distributor of Stamps, Pretoria / 2 years 6 months / Salary Monthly £20.16s.8d. Gratuity of £39.1s.3d., but he was paid £50 under Government Notice No.224 of 1903/ Therefore, Gratuity Nil .

Bosman, Jan Christoffel Henoch / 1st Clark, [Pretoria?] / 4 years. / Salary Monthly £24.9s.11d. / Gratuity £73.9s.11d.

Janson, Johan Henricus / Resident Justice of the Peace, Distributor of Stamps, Dullstroom / 5 years. 10 months / Salary Monthly, £21.16s.8d. / Gratuity £200.17s.4d. / Paid to his Widow.

Martins, Jacobus Marthinus / Responsible Clark to the Resident Justice of the Peace, and Distributor of Stamps, Kocksoord / 6 years 1 month / Monthly Salary £32.16s.11d. / Gratuity £119.17s.3d., / Note – Gratuity £149.17s.5d., less £30 paid under Government Notice No. 224 of 1903.

Civil Commissioner’s Department –

Munnich, Francois Daniel Rousseau / Clark, Distributor of Stamps, Potchefstroom / 7 years 2 months / Monthly Salary £29.5s.10d. / Gratuity £157.8s.10d. / In 1909 living in Cape Colony.

Pohl, Pieter Huntly Carlise / Bookkeeper, Pretoria / 2 years 9 months, / Monthly Salary £27.1s.8d. / Gratuity £55.17s.2d. / In 1909 living in raff Reinet, [Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape Colony].

Pretorius, Nicolas Jacobus, Jun. / Distributor of Stamps, Pretoria / 6 years 5 months / Monthly Salary £50.0s.0d. / Gratuity £240.12s.6d. / In 1908 address was Hartebeesthoek, [Western Cape?].

Swaziland Administration –

Krogh, Darcy Lancelot, / 1st Landdrost Clerk and Distributor of Stamps / 4 years 6 months / Monthly Salary £27.14.7d. / Gratuity £93.11s.7d. / In 1909 address as C/o Native Commissioner, Middelburg.

Analysis
For those officials who retired, or were unable to work fulltime, the expense of living in the larger towns of the Transvaal, frequently resulted in them no longer remaining in the Transvaal. They moved back to their home country i.e. United Kingdom, or settled in Natal or Cape Colony, where the cost of living was affordable. Of the eight recorded here, four were living in Cape Colony during 1909 where they received their gratuity.

One official however, was disallowed his gratuity as Willem Lennox Albertijn, had been paid in kind during 1903 when he received £50 under ‘Government notice number 224 on 1903’. Jacobus Marthinus Martins was also subject to this Law, receiving his gratuity, less £30.

‘Government notice number 224 on 1903’
‘Whereas it would appear that certain persons who were Burghers of the late Republic, and were in employment in the Civil Service of the late Government, are in indigent circumstances and have received no benefit from the fund provided by Article 10 of the Terms of Surrender to assist them in returning to some occupation whereby they may maintain themselves and their families, it is hereby notified that a Commission has been constituted to receive and enquire into applications from members of the Civil Service of the late Government who, owing to the change of Government, have been deprived of their occupation, have not been re-instated in office or obtained any other employment, and are in indigent circumstances.’

Only one of these Officials is recorded as employed as a Civil Servant in the Transvaal Colony during 1909. Darcy Lancelot Krogh was then employed by the Native Commissioner Department at Middelburg.

Acknowledgements
The University of Pretoria’s Department of Library Services Special Collections Unit, and Oliver R.Tambo Law Library.

References
South African Republic Officials Pensions Commission, Pretoria: January 1909, p.8., April, 1909, p.12.

Transvaal, Debates of the Second Session of the Legislative Assembly of the Transvaal 1908, columns 942-945.

Woolgar, J., (2021) Transvaal Postal Department Staff before and after the South African War, Gravesend.