The ANC has congratulated President Cyril Ramaphosa on being the latest South African head of state to have their face on a stamp.
On Tuesday, the South African Post Office unveiled a stamp bearing Ramaphosa's face to commemorate World Post Day. All former South African presidents have been honoured in this way, the Presidency said.
Journalists attending the briefing held by the Presidency to unveil the stamp hoped that the president might answer questions about the fate of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene. Instead, he stuck to the programme. Nene reportedly asked to be relieved of his duties this week after his bombshell revelation at the state capture commission of inquiry that he had several meetings with the Gupta family.
Addressing an audience at Tuynhuis in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said postal services had made a "significant contribution" to global and economic development.
"More than simply facilitating commerce, postal services brought people closer together.
"They made distance less important and separation more bearable. When our own leaders were in prison, they used letters to stay in touch with their families.
"It was through these letters that, despite strict censorship, they got to learn more about the world outside – and the world outside got to learn more about them," he said.
The ANC congratulated Ramaphosa on the "revolutionary honour".
In a statement, the party said World Post Day was a day on which people all over the world could commemorate the "communications revolution".
An important part of South African life
"It is an important day for our people to reflect on the journey we have traversed as a nation in our quest to create the best communication channels for all.
"For us the stamps are in appreciation of the role the ANC president has played in serving our people. The policy of the Post Office cites that only the head of state may feature on a postage stamp," the ANC said.
The Presidential Commemorative Stamp as presented to President @CyrilRamaphosa this morning. A limited edition of 30 000 stamp sheets will be printed. Compared to the 2 million items that the Post Office delivers each work day, this is a very limited number. #WorldPostDay pic.twitter.com/Ll38EoaWYM
— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) October 9, 2018
President Ramaphosa to unveil presidential postal stamp tomorrow morning. ??Journos will be there asking him about the new stamps. ??
— Scapegoat (@AndiMakinana) October 8, 2018
Ramaphosa said the Post Office remained an important part of South African life, both urban and rural.
"More than five million social grant recipients recently became part of the beneficiaries of the diverse services offered by post offices countrywide. Our nation's post offices are both client service centres and cultural institutions that bring dignity to communities and mark key events and transitions in the lives of individuals.They are a part of our national heritage that is not only geographically embedded in all communities, but also sentimentally engraved in the consciousness of South Africans," he said.However, not everyone was convinced.
It’s a pressing shame we won’t be able to use the stamp. You know, because the postal service barely functions. https://t.co/1yclOSX3iy
— IG: richpoplak (@Poplak) October 8, 2018