Last week, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) officially unveiled the country’s new banknotes and coin series, to which Xitsonga-speaking communities flagged a spelling change on the R100 banknote.
The old banknotes used ‘Bangi-Nkulu’ as the Xitsonga spelling of the Reserve Bank, but the new note drops the second ‘N,’ changing it to ‘Bangi Kulu.’
The Pan South African Language Board has explained that the extra ‘N’ was incorrect on the old notes and is only used when referring to a person, not an institution.
Also read: The SARB officially introduces the country’s upgraded banknotes and coins
According to Business Tech, PanSALB explained that the Limpopo province has a Xitsonga dialect spoken in the Malamulele area that doesn’t use the ‘N’ even when it is supposed to be used, but other Xitsonga-speaking communities disagree with this change.
They claim that the reason for the change is incorrect and that removing the ‘N’ changes the word’s meaning. They believe that the misspelling is due to a lack of consultation with language experts.
Many Xitsonga-speaking community members are demanding that the Reserve Bank revert to the old spelling. They argue that the current spelling represents a very small dialect within the Xitsonga language and is not representative of the larger community.
In addition to the spelling change, the new banknotes come with improved security features and new designs that celebrate the country’s heritage.
The banknotes continue to honour South Africa’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, with his portrait on the front and the Big 5 animals illustrated as a family on the back. According to the bank, depicting the Big Five as a family reinforces the importance of family bonds.
The new currency will circulate alongside current banknotes and coins. All banknotes and coins in circulation retain their face value.
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Picture: SA Reserve Bank / Facebook