We recently were able to add these new South African notes to our website. Released in 2018 the series of five notes celebrate and honor Nelson Mandela and his legacy, on the 100 year anniversary of his birth on July 18 1918.
While Madiba is represented currently on the South Africa rand, the reverse side of the banknotes featured different animals from the country. With these commemorative notes the reverse has been changed to tell the story of Madiba. To read our blog from 2013 about the first issuing of Nelson Mandela on the rand, click here.
The same image of a younger Madiba is shown on all the notes in the series, however the background changes on each note. On the green 10 rand you see the small village of Mvezo, his birthplace. The golden brown 20 rand shows his home in Soweto that he moved into during 1946. The house now operates as a museum, honoring the legacy of Madiba, managed by the Soweto Heritage Trust.
The red 50 rand note is a painful depiction of Howick, the site of his capture on 5 August 1962. You can also see a side profile of Mandela which is a monument now located at the Capture Site. The monument is comprised of 50 steel columns, some 10 meters tall that reveal a portrait of Madiba when viewed from the right angle.
The other notes in the series represent his imprisonment on Robben Island from 1964–1982, and finally the moment Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s president in 1994. These two notes are not yet available on our website, but we will hopefully have in stock soon.
This series is a beautiful representation from South Africa of the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.
According to EWN, Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene has insisted South African’s carry the new banknotes with pride, saying:
“Just like Madiba was, bank notes are a country’s ambassador showcasing its culture to the rest of the world just as Madiba was to South Africa. Bank notes are the front or showpiece of our nation.”