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interview ... Muano Mainganye – honouring those who shaped our country 1. Did you know anything about stamps before receiving this assignment and which aspect of stamps did you fi nd surprising or particularly interesting? I had heard about certain collectible stamps, which investors often collect in contrast to those that we use to send mail daily, but that’s about it. I was also surprised to hear that the fi rst stamp in South Africa was created in 1853; I thought that was really interesting. 2. There were a few different themes from which you could choose. Why did you choose to design the Constitution stamps? I found all the themes quite interesting, but the Constitution Hill stamp was centred on typography and I thought that it would make for a good challenge. At the same time I saw this as an opportunity to learn about South African history, and some of the things that our leaders endured. 3. Where did you get your inspiration for this design? I was inspired by all the research material that I had gathered; I tried to sum it up in one picture. 4. What research did you do before starting the design process? I looked at all the previous stamp designs in Setempe magazine, as well as some stamps on the Internet, from websites like usps.com. I also looked at a lot of typographical designs on the web and did some research on Constitution Hill, as well as some of the prisoners that were held there. 5. What did you wish to express in your design? I wanted to design something that would really honour those who made this country what it is today, and the portrait behind the words is to show that they are not forgotten. 6. What did you enjoy most about designing this stamp? I would have to say that it was the experimentation with the texture and type, as well as learning about South Africa’s heritage. 7. What do you consider to be good design or of which elements does good design consist? All design elements should be considered but you can focus on certain ones, and in this case I chose to focus on texture and type. 8. Which artist from history is your favourite and why? I look up to a lot of artists from the past, but if I have to choose one it would have to be Rene Magritte. I enjoy the visual puns he often employed in his work. 9. What is your opinion about stamps after everything you have learnt during this assignment? I appreciate them more, because now I understand the amount of work that goes into making a stamp. 10. What is your biggest ideal in life? We all know what it takes; we can either make excuses or just do it. Keeping this in mind, I constantly push myself towards greater things. 5 Setempe May-Aug 2011
new issues... Honouring a CONSTITUTION for the people by the people “We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past, honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land, respect those who have worked to build and develop our country, believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.” These introductory words of the preamble to the South African Constitution are featured on the last stamp issue in the Constitution Hill series. South Africa’s Constitution is widely regarded as the most progressive constitution in the world, with a Bill of Rights second to none. Coming late to democracy, South Africa was able to draw on the collective wisdom of the democratic countries of the world in creating its Constitution. South Africa’s Constitution was the result of detailed and inclusive negotiations that took into consideration the injustices of the country’s non-democratic past. The result is that it represents the collective wisdom of the South African people and has been arrived at by general agreement. Human rights are given prominence in the Constitution. They feature in the Preamble with its stated intention of establishing “a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.” Among the rights stipulated are those of equality, freedom of expression and association, political and property rights, housing, healthcare, education, access to information, and access to courts. Supreme law The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, was approved by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996. On 10 December 1996, which is international Human Rights Day, Nelson Mandela signed the Constitution into law in Sharpeville, in Vereeniging and it took effect on 4 February 1997. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. No other law or government action can supersede the provisions of the Constitution. 6 Setempe May-Aug 2011 The adoption of the Constitution in 1996 was a major turning point in this country’s history. It has been called the “birth certifi cate” of a new South Africa - a country that is profoundly different to the one that existed before. This Constitution was drafted in terms of Chapter 5 of the interim Constitution (Act 200 of 1993) and was fi rst adopted by the Constitutional Assembly on 8 May 1996. In terms of a judgement of the Constitutional Court, delivered on 6 September 1996, the text was referred back to the Constitutional Assembly for reconsideration. The text was accordingly amended to comply with the Constitutional
Page 2 and 3: Managing editor Johan van Wyk Edito
Page 6 and 7: Principles contained in Schedule 4
Page 8 and 9: Flute In South Africa, traditional
Page 10 and 11: Cape parrot (Poicephalus robustus)
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Page 14 and 15: Setempe adverts dates & rates... SE
Page 16 and 17: This year sees the Rugby World Cup
Page 18 and 19: Bellville post office... From left:
Page 20 and 21: Sipho’s father, who was a wealthy
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Page 24 and 25: CASH ORDER FORM Account number: ___

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