A commerative stamp bearing the picture of the famous ship, the SS Truro, which brought Indians to South Africa, will be released next week.
The South African Post Office will release the standard postage stamp on November 16 to commemorate the arrival of Indians in South Africa in 1860.
The miniature sheet, designed by Thea Clemons, features a sketch of the ship that transported indentured Indians and a photograph of them coming ashore in Durban.
On November 16 1860, the SS Truro sailed into Durban with 342 Indian indentured labourers, all in search of a better life as farm workers on the sugar plantations of Natal.
Head of the 1860 Heritage Foundation Krish Gokool said his organisation initiated the project, together with the Legacy Foundation and the South African Post Office.
"For many years, we tried to get a commemorative postage stamp. We hope this will be the start of bigger things to come. We would like to have a series of stamps in the future.
"This is not just an Indian thing, but part of South African history and the stamps need to reflect this history."
He said they would be a collectors item. "Stamps are collected by people all over the world. If they are commemorative, they have more value."
He praised former minister of communications Roy Padayachie for supporting their request for a stamp and helping make it come true.
Satish Dhupelia, chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Legacy Committee, described the launch as a momentous occasion.
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