A Milestone for the International Phonecard Collecting Community
In 2026, the international collecting community proudly celebrates an important milestone: the 30th anniversary of the African Telately Association, one of the most historic and respected phonecard collectors clubs in Africa and worldwide.
For three decades, ATA has represented passion, friendship, research and dedication to the hobby of phonecard and smart card collecting, becoming a reference point not only for South African collectors but also for enthusiasts across the globe.
The Worldwide Phonecards Collectors Club is honoured to celebrate this important anniversary together with our South African friends and partners. ATA and WPC share the same international spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange, strengthened year after year thanks to the participation of ATA’s President at the Phonecards International Meeting.
The Visionary Beginning
The history of ATA began on Tuesday, 21 May 1996, when four passionate collectors met in Johannesburg with a shared dream: creating a professional and organized collectors club dedicated to South African phonecards and smart cards.
The founders were:
- Dawie Schwartz
- Ken Bezuidenhout
- Cedric Edwards
- Mike Evert
Their first meeting took place in Cedric Edwards’ office at FNB in Johannesburg, where the original “Phonecard Collectors Club (PCC)” was officially established.
The club’s mission was clear from the very beginning: to promote and support the professional collection of South African phonecards and smart cards.
Today, thirty years later, the collecting world can still appreciate the extraordinary vision and commitment of these pioneers, two of whom remain active within ATA to this day.
Growth and Evolution
Like many successful associations, ATA evolved rapidly during its early years.
The first meetings were hosted in Centurion before later moving to Johannesburg and eventually to the Roodepoort Police Station boardroom, which became the club’s long-standing home. Monthly meetings have traditionally been held on the first Sunday of each month, creating a stable and welcoming environment for collectors.
In July 1998, the association launched its monthly newsletter, The SA Telatelist. Less than a year later, following the expansion of the club’s focus toward all African phonecards, the newsletter became The African Telatelist.
The publication quickly became an essential communication tool for collectors, featuring:
- hobby articles,
- updated news,
- postal auctions,
- auction results,
- and collecting competitions.
Even after decades, the newsletter remains one of the symbols of ATA’s continuity and dedication.
From PCC to ATA
As the association expanded its collecting scope to include all African cards, an important transformation occurred.
On 7 March 1999, the Phonecard Collectors Club officially changed its name to the African Telately Association (ATA). The decision was also necessary to avoid confusion with a Telkom SA collectors service using a similar name.
The new identity reflected a broader continental vision and marked the beginning of ATA’s international development.
The Telately Conferences
One of ATA’s greatest achievements was undoubtedly the creation of the famous “Telately” conferences and exhibitions.
The first major event, Telately 99, was organized in Cape Town and sponsored by the Telkom Exploratorium. It immediately demonstrated the enormous potential of bringing together collectors, dealers and enthusiasts in a dedicated international environment.
The success of the initiative encouraged ATA to establish Telately as a bi-annual event.
Over the years, conferences were held in various South African cities, including Pretoria, Durban and Boksburg, each one growing in size and reputation.
Particularly significant was Telately 2005, where ATA embraced an international vision inspired by the major European phonecard fairs such as the renowned SIT event in France. The inclusion of international dealers and complementary collecting hobbies helped revitalize the hobby locally and opened South African collecting to the world.
Although Telately 2009 became the final edition of the conference, its legacy remains extremely important in the history of international phonecard collecting.
Adapting to the Evolution of the Hobby
Like many sectors connected to telecommunications technology, phonecard collecting has undergone major transformations over the last decades.
The gradual disappearance of chip phonecards and the rise of scratch cards, virtual vouchers and digital systems changed the landscape of the hobby worldwide.
ATA demonstrated remarkable adaptability by embracing related collecting areas such as:
- gift cards,
- hotel key cards,
- bank cards,
- gaming cards,
- and shopping mall gift cards.
This openness toward the evolution of collecting culture helped ATA remain active and relevant even during periods of major technological transition.
A Friendship That Continues
Today, thirty years after its foundation, ATA continues to represent the passion and perseverance that define the best collectors associations around the world.
The friendship between ATA and WPC is a perfect example of how collecting can unite people from different countries, cultures and generations through a common passion.
The annual presence of ATA representatives at the Phonecards International Meeting has become a valued tradition and an important symbol of international cooperation within the hobby.
On behalf of the entire Worldwide Phonecards Collectors Club community, we extend our warmest congratulations to the African Telately Association for this extraordinary 30-year milestone.
We wish ATA many more years of success and passion for collecting.
