The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and SA Mint plan to launch a new R5 coin to commemorate the bank’s centenary in 2021.
The coins will be valid as legal tender from January 1, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Finance on Friday, November 27.
The two coins — a standard circulation and collector’s edition — will pay homage to the history of the Reserve Bank by featuring six older coins as inserts on the R5’s reverse.
These historic coins include a laughing Nelson Mandela R5, an old 1 cent coin showing two sparrows, as well as old 10 and 20 cent coins. The old coins are linked to each other by a tiny disc which acknowledges the SARB’s 100 years of operation, from 1921 to 2021.
The observe of the standard circulation coin displays South Africa’s traditional coat of arms and the country’s name in two official languages, “uMzantsi Afrika” and “Suid-Afrika”.
The collector’s edition of the coin will have the same reverse as the standard edition, however, it will be cast in sterling silver and feature gold plating. It will also be half the size of the circulation R5 and its obverse will show the country’s name in ten languages.
This is how the new R5 coins will look:
Last year, to commemorate 25 years of constitutional democracy, the SA Mint unveiled a new series of collectable and circulation coins, called “SA25 — Celebrating South Africa”.
Five new R2 coins and a R5 coin that celebrated the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution were introduced into circulation.
Picture: SA Mint
