The South African rand (sign: R; code: ZAR) is the official currency of South Africa.
The rand takes its name from the Witwatersrand ("white waters' ridge" in English), the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found.
The rand was introduced in the Union of South Africa in 1961, three months before the country declared itself a republic.
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) opened for business on 30 June 1921 and issued its first banknotes on 19 April 1922.
Initially, the banknotes issued by the SARB were printed in the United Kingdom. In 1958, it was decided that notes would be printed domestically, so Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company (BWC) and the SARB established the South African Bank Note Company (SABN) as a joint venture. Domestic production of banknotes commenced in 1961 when South Africa adopted a decimal currency.
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The first series of rand banknotes was introduced in 1961 in denominations of 1, 2, 10, and 20 rand, with similar designs and colours to the preceding pound notes to ease the transition. They bore the image of what was believed at the time to be Jan van Riebeeck, the first VOC administrator of Cape Town.
During the 1990s, the banknotes were redesigned to feature images of the Big Five wildlife species. Coins were introduced for the 2 and 5 rand, replacing the notes of the previous series, mainly because of the severe wear and tear experienced with low-denomination notes in circulation.
In 2011, the South African Reserve Bank issued defective 100 rand banknotes that lacked fluorescent printing visible under UV light. The South African Reserve Bank shredded 3.6 million 100-rand banknotes printed by Crane Currency because they had the same serial numbers as a batch printed by the South African Bank Note Company.
On 18 July 2018, a special commemorative series of banknotes was released in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth. These notes depict the standard face of Nelson Mandela on the obverse, but instead of the Big Five animals on the reverse, they show a younger Mandela with different iconic scenes relating to his legacy.
The SARB has upgraded all five denominations of its banknotes and started putting them into circulation on May 4, 2023. The so-called Mandela notes were last redesigned in 2018, and the new notes are similar in their visual design and color scheme.
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As in the previous banknotes, Nelson Mandela’s portrait is prominent on the face of all new banknotes, and one of the Big 5 African game animals (lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo) is depicted on the back of each denomination. However, images of individual animals have been replaced with images of adults and their young. The South African flag motif has also been added to the back of each note.
Like the 2018 notes, the front side of the new notes feature raised (tactile) markings for the visually impaired. Several cutting-edge security features have been added to the new South African banknotes, in an ongoing effort to fight fraud and counterfeiting.
The 2023 eighth series of South African Rand banknotes are available in the same denominations as the current series: R10, R20, R50, R100, and R200. All five banknotes continue to feature Nelson Mandela on the obverse side.
One notable feature is the rings behind Mandela's head, which consist of the South African flag and text from parts of the South African constitution. As with previous issues, the banknotes maintain the design featuring 'Africa's Big 5' animals.
The following languages appear on the back of the banknotes:
Read also: Understanding the South African Rand
- 10 Rand: Afrikaans and Siswati.
- 20 Rand: Setswana and isiNdebele.
- 50 Rand: isiXhosa and Tshivenda.
- 100 Rand: Sesotho sa Leboa/Sepedi and Xitsonga.
- 200 Rand: isiZulu and Sesotho.
The dimensions, sizes and paper (cotton substrate) remain unchanged. However, the following enhancements have been made with the theme of Look, Feel & Tilt:
Look features:
- The colors have been subtly enhanced to improve visual differentiation between the denominations, catering to the partially sighted communities.
- The watermark depicts the shadow image of the 'Big 5' animal unique to each denomination, along with its denomination numeral.
- The preamble to South Africa's Constitution is featured in micro-lettering on the left and right sides of the main portrait.
- Large denomination numerals have been incorporated on the front and back of the banknotes, printed in positive and negative text to assist the partially sighted community.
- To further assist the partially sighted, each denomination now has a shape that encapsulates the see-through perfect print registration of the animal unique to that denomination. These shapes are a diamond on the R10, a rectangle on the R20, a circle on the R50, a hexagon on the R100, and an oval on the R200. When held up to the light, a complete image of the 'Big 5' animal can be seen.
Feel features:
- The tactile marks have been enhanced to support the blind and partially blind communities in differentiating between the denominations. The tactile marks are located on the short edge of the R10 and R20 denominations, and on the long edge of the R50, R100, and R200 denominations.
- The gaps between the sets of tactile marks are counted to determine the denomination of the banknote: R10 - one gap, R20 - two gaps (on the short edge); R50 - one gap, R100 - two gaps, and R200 - three gaps (on the long edge).
- The Coat of Arms, the words 'South African Reserve Bank,' the Governor's name and signature, the main portrait, and the denomination numeral are in raised print on the front of the banknotes.
- The words 'South African Reserve Bank' in two of the 11 official languages, the denomination numeral, and the 'Big 5' animals are in raised print on the back of the banknotes.
Tilt features:
- SPARK®Live Truspin, a color-changing ink with a spinning circle feature, is incorporated within the 'Big 5' animal on the bottom right of the banknote. The circle spins and changes color when the banknote is tilted.
- The security thread shows dynamic movement and matches the color change on the SPARK®Live Truspin when the banknote is tilted. The abbreviation 'SARB,' the denomination numeral, and the 'Big 5' animal unique to each denomination are visible on the security thread. When the banknote is held up to the light, the security thread appears as a continuous solid dark line.
- The denomination numeral appears as a latent image or hidden image on each banknote. The latent image can be seen by tilting the banknote almost horizontally to your eye.
The dimensions of the upgraded Mandela banknotes are the same as the previous banknotes in circulation.
| Denomination | Height | Width |
|---|---|---|
| R10 | 70mm | 128mm |
| R20 | 70mm | 134mm |
| R50 | 70mm | 140mm |
| R100 | 70mm | 146mm |
| R200 | 70mm | 152mm |
Security Features:
The SARB has made it easier to authenticate a genuine banknote and reject a counterfeit note. There are multiple security features on each banknote.
The uncirculated 50 rand South Africa note is a standard circulation banknote issued by the South African Reserve Bank. It is a pink, maroon, olive green, and brown note that is dated 2023 ND, bears the signature of E. Lesetja Kganyago, and measures 140 x 70 mm.
Its obverse side features the coat of arms, a lion in a circle as a registration device, the preamble to South Africa’s Constitution, Nelson Mandela, and two lions in SPARK Live Truspin. Its reverse side shows two lions and a lion in a circle as a registration device.
According to a press release dated 3 May 2023, these notes are like the preceding issues, but with enhanced security features and new designs featuring “The Big Five” families on the back.
Specific Features of the 50 Rand Note:
- Colors: Maroon, olive green, and brown.
- Front: English text; coat of arms; lion in circle as registration device; preamble to South Africa’s Constitution; Nelson Mandela; two lions in SPARK Live Truspin.
- Back: Text in English, Xhosa, and Venda; two lions; lion in circle as registration device.
- Security Thread: Holographic windowed security thread with coat of arms, SARB, lion, and 50.
- Watermark: Lion and electrotype 50.
- Printer: (South African Bank Note Company).
- Dimensions: 140 x 70 mm.
- Signature: Kganyago.
- First Issued: 04.05.2023.
This South African banknote features a portrait of Nelson Mandela. Mandela spent his life fighting for freedom and justice in South Africa. He was imprisoned for 27 years for resisting the South African government’s apartheid policies that enforced segregation and oppressed Africans and other people of color. In 1993, he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the apartheid system. The following year, he became South Africa’s first African president and served until 1999.
