Post Codes were introduced in South Africa in 1975, with the introduction of automated sorting.
South African Post codes consist of four digits. In the case of cities and large towns, the last two digits may indicate the mode of delivery:
The above codes apply only to the central areas of the cities and the main post offices. Groups of suburbs share postal codes for street address and branch post offices have post codes which fall within the number range for that city. Other code ranges are assigned to different parts of the country
The general pattern is: 0000-2999 Northern Region (Gauteng, Mpumalanga, most of North West, Limpopo) 3000-4999 Eastern Region (Kwa Zulu Natal, eastern part of Eastern Cape) 5000-6699 Southern Region (Eastern Cape, eastern parts of Wetsern Cape) 6000-8299 Western Region (Western Cape (Cape Town and West Coast), Northern Cape(Namamqualand)) 8300-9999 Central Region (Northern Cape and Free State) (excluding 9000-9299, which is not used-see below)) These are the main code ranges:
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/Vanderbylpark Region (Motsweding) 2000-2199 Gauteng - Johannesburg (original Johannesburg,Randburg,Sandton) 2200-2499 Mpumalanga - southern half 2500-2899 Northwest Province - southern and central 2900-3199 KwaZulu Natal - Northern Kwa Zulu Natal 3200-3299 KwaZulu Natal - Pietermaritzburg and surrounds 3300-3599 KwaZulu Natal - Midlands 2951-2957 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 Umzinkulu 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 - Eastern part 6500-6699 Western Cape - Garden Route and Oudtshoorn area 6700-6899 Western Cape - Klein Karoo 6900-7099 Western Cape - Groot Karoo 7100-7299 Western Cape - Area south-east of Cape Town 7300-7399 Western Cape - West Coast 7400-7599 Western Cape - Northern parts 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 8300-8799 Northern Cape - Eastern Part 8800-8999 Northern Cape - Gordonia Region 9000-9299 (unused - formerly assigned to the then South West Africa - now Namibia) 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 Note that postal code boundaries do not follow provincial borders exactly, especially since the re-oganisation of provinces in 1994.
Example of Johannesburg suburban codes for street addresses are: 2001 - Central Business District 2090 - Far North East, Alexandria 2091 - Far South (such as Mondeor) 2092 - Western suburbs (such as Melville and Auckland Park) 2093 - Far western suburbs (former 'coloured' townships) 2094 - Eastern suburbs (such as Kensington) 2169 - North West Randburg (such as Randpark Ridge) 2188 - Northern Ranburg (eg Boskruin) 2190 - Southern Suburbs, such as Rosettenville 2191 - Northern Sandton (including Bryanston) 2192 - North Eastern suburbs (such as Sandringham) 2193 - North Central suburbs (eg Greenside, Parktown) 2194 - Randburg (eg Ferndale) 2195 - North West suburbs (including Northcliff) 2196 - Southern Sandton 2197 - South East suburbs (eg Tulisa Park) 2198 - Inner East suburbs (eg Yeoville) 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:
Note that the code should be placed in front of the suburb/town, or on a new line on its own. The following is also acceptable.
The South African post code system (number range 9000-9299) was also used in Namibia until 1992, when they were withdrawn from use by the country's postal service:
South Africa's neighbours, Lesotho and Swaziland, have their own separate post code systems.