South African Reserve Bank rolls out new banknotes and coins
The governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Lesetja Kganyago, announced the introduction of the country's new and upgraded banknotes and coins.
You might have recently withdrawn cash from the automated teller machine (ATM) and realised that the money coming out looks different. This comes after the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Lesetja Kganyago, led the introduction of the country’s new and upgraded banknotes and coins. The launch was in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, with the former president’s face still featured on the new notes.
The upgraded notes boast new security features and designs. These notes also have the South African national flag, the preamble of the constitution in micro-lettering, and the nation’s big five portrayed as a family. The new banknotes and coins were themed to show the country’s deep ecology and interconnectedness with other living organisms.

The upgraded banknotes and coins launch coincided with the ten-year anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s passing. The R5 coin shows the southern right whale and school of Galjoen together as South Africa’s national fish, the R2 coin depicts the springbok family with its habitat, and the R1 coin, 50-cent coin, 20-cent coin, and 10-cent coin show the king protea, Knysna turaco, bitter aloe, and the honeybee – respectively.
The new and upgraded banknotes and coins are already in circulation, and members of the public may download the SARB currency app to explore, play and learn about the central bank, upgraded banknotes and coins. The app is downloadable via Android’s Google Play store or Apple’s App Store.
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