PHOTOS: New South African rand notes promote animals and their babies

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that New South African rand notes promote animals and their children. (Read More Here).

The R20 banknote will become a “more visible” brown, the R50 banknote will be tinged with purple rather than its current red and the R200 will be a more vibrant orange. 

The upgrade, the first major one since Mandela’s portrait was included on the country’s banknotes in 2012, will also expand the Big Five pictures theme on the back of the banknotes to incorporate family scenarios depicting both parents and offspring.

The security features include watermarks that also feature a pic of the Big Five animals that appear on the banknote. There will also continue to be specific physical characteristics to help visually impaired people differentiate the banknotes from one another.

The ‘Our Money Our Pride’ launch of the upgraded currency took place on Wednesday afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, Johannesburg, and was attended by Reserve Bank officials, Mandela Foundation dignitaries, Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago and deputy finance minister David Masondo. 

The newly unveiled money once again features the big five, only this time they will feature as families on the back of each note rather than lone animals. The changes, announced on Wednesday, were in line with international best practice, where generally it is recommended that countries upgrade banknotes and coins regularly to fight against counterfeit notes.

The SARB said SA had one of the lowest counterfeit rates in the world, with only an estimated three fake notes for every million banknotes produced.

Again, the main theme for the coins will be deep ecology, which the Reserve Bank chose as an acknowledgment of “the interconnectedness of living organisms as an integral part of the environment” and are depicted by plants and wildlife creatures. 

The denominations will be introduced incrementally into the market. The upgrade has been carried out in line with international best practice to combat counterfeiting and to stay abreast with technological advancements. Banknotes are generally refreshed in six-eight-year intervals, with coins being changed every 20-30 years.