ZarPostalCodes

South African Postal Code Ranges by Province

Which postal codes belong to which province, what the first digit of a code tells you, and the border towns that break the pattern.

By the ZarPostalCodes team Updated 3 min read

South Africa’s four-digit postal codes are not random. Each province has one or two blocks of numbers, so the first digits of a code tell you roughly where an address is. That is useful for checking a form, choosing the right “state” on an overseas website, or spotting a code that cannot be right.

Code blocks for each province

ProvinceCode blocksCapitalSuburbs
Gauteng0001 to 0299 and 1400 to 2199Johannesburg9,506
North West0300 to 0499 and 2500 to 2899Mahikeng987
Limpopo0500 to 0999Polokwane929
Mpumalanga1000 to 1399 and 2200 to 2499Mbombela1,268
KwaZulu-Natal2900 to 4730Pietermaritzburg2,296
Eastern Cape4731 to 6499Bhisho2,151
Western Cape6500 to 8099Cape Town2,426
Northern Cape8100 to 8999Kimberley471
Free State9300 to 9999Bloemfontein886

Codes from 9000 to 9299 are not used. Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West each have two separate blocks.

What the first digit tells you

  • 0: Pretoria and the north of Gauteng (0001 to 0299), parts of North West around Rustenburg (0300 to 0499), and Limpopo (0500 to 0999).
  • 1: Mpumalanga (1000 to 1399), then much of Gauteng outside Pretoria and central Johannesburg, including the East Rand, the West Rand, Soweto and the Vaal (1400 onwards).
  • 2: Johannesburg (2000 to 2199), more of Mpumalanga (2200 to 2499), North West (2500 to 2899), and the start of KwaZulu-Natal (2900 onwards).
  • 3: KwaZulu-Natal, including Pietermaritzburg (3201) and the area around Pinetown and Westville.
  • 4: Durban and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal up to 4730, then the Eastern Cape from 4731.
  • 5: the Eastern Cape, including East London (5201) and Mthatha (5100).
  • 6: the Eastern Cape up to 6499, including Gqeberha (6001), then the Western Cape from 6500, including the Garden Route.
  • 7: most of the Western Cape, including almost all of Cape Town’s suburbs.
  • 8: central Cape Town (8000 to 8099), then the Northern Cape (8100 to 8999), including Kimberley (8301).
  • 9: the Free State (9300 to 9999), including Bloemfontein (9301).

Border towns that break the pattern

Codes follow post office routes rather than provincial borders, so some towns near a border use a code from a neighbouring province’s block:

Suburb or townPost office areaStreetPO Box
SasolburgSasolburg19471947
BronkhorstspruitBronkhorstspruit10201020
BritsBrits02500250
HartbeespoortRustenburg02160216
Aliwal NorthAliwal North97509750
De AarDe Aar70007000
VryburgVryburg86018600
  • Sasolburg is in the Free State but uses a code from the Gauteng block.
  • Bronkhorstspruit is in Gauteng but uses a code from the Mpumalanga block.
  • Brits and Hartbeespoort are in North West but use codes from the Gauteng block.
  • Aliwal North is in the Eastern Cape but uses a code from the Free State block.
  • De Aar is in the Northern Cape but uses a code from the Western Cape block, and Vryburg in North West uses one from the Northern Cape block.

So treat the ranges as a guide rather than a rule. To be certain, look the town up directly:

Frequently asked questions

Which province uses postal codes starting with 7?

The Western Cape. Codes from 6500 to 8099 belong to the Western Cape, and almost all of Cape Town’s suburbs fall between 7100 and 8099.

What is the lowest postal code in South Africa?

0001, which is the PO Box code for central Pretoria. Pretoria’s central street code is 0002.

Which province has the most postal codes?

Gauteng, by a wide margin. It has more listed suburbs than any other province, spread across two code blocks.

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