New dimensions, designs and a rotation cycle for the official languages – these are but a few changes to the fourth decimal coin series of South Africa.

The changes have been gazetted by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and will officially come into circulation from January 1, 2023.

All of South Africa’s official languages will get a chance to shine. The words ‘South Africa’ will be printed on one side of the coin, with the language used changing each year.

The decimal coin system in SA

According to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the first decimal coin series was introduced in 1961.

“When the Republic of South Africa was proclaimed, the country formally adopted a decimal system, with coins being converted to their decimal equivalent, resulting in the one pound becoming a R2 coin, the one shilling a 10c coin and the three pence a 2.5c coin. This system remained in place until 1964.”

The decimal coin system has to date undergone three changes. The current coins were initially introduced in 1989.

“South Africa has six coin denominations in circulation, namely, the 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2 and the R5. These coins have different sizes. The 10c is the smallest at 16mm and the R5 is the largest at 26mm. An important consideration in having the different sizes and rim finishes was that visually impaired people could identify the particular denomination with their fingers when transacting,” the SARB website explains.

Changes to the coins from 2023

The fourth decimal coin series comes into effect at the start of the new year and some notable changes have been made.

The R5 coin’s black wildebeest makes way for a southern right whale. The springbok on the R1 coin makes way for a protea, which was previously on the 20c coin. As a result, an aloe will feature on the 20c coin, while the loerie (turaco) replaces another flower, the strelitzia, on the 50c coin. The kudu on the R2 coin has been replaced with the iconic springbok, while the arum lily on the 10c is dropped and replaced with a honeybee.