The Cape Post Office Stones

A post stone kept at the Iziko Museum, Slave Lodge in Cape Town Acknowledgement and thanks to ‘Cape Town in 50 Objects’; www.capetownpartnership.co.za  and the Museum

Postal services in Southern Africa go back over 500 years, when engraved stones were left behind by sailors landing at the Cape. These were marked with the date of arrival, the ship’s name and that of its commander and date of departure. In 1500, the captain of a Portuguese ship placed a letter in a shoe in a white milkwood tree at Mossel Bay. Portuguese ships used to stop at Mossel Bay to replenish fresh water, and three months later, the letter was found and taken to Portugal.  Login to read the full article in Journal December 2016.