New R2 and R5 coins launching in South Africa next week
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has gazetted the specifications and designs of new commemorative R2 and R5 coins, which will become legal tender on 16 June 2026.
The new R2 coins are designed around the theme of education and will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 youth uprising, the 125th anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke’s graduation, and the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of South Africa.
The R5 coin will be an education tribute coin, featuring the designs of the R2 coins on its reverse side.
As with other commemorative coins, they carry no higher value than their face values, but serve to celebrate certain milestones, important events and legacies.
Some notable coins in the past include the 1994 Inauguration R5, which features the South African flag and a handshake.
Another R5 coin was produced in 2008 to commemorate former president Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday.
Most recently, the SA Mint produced a R5 coin in 2021 to celebrate the SARB’s centenary.
The commemorations are a special edition and are not a permanent change, such as the 2023 refresh of South Africa’s coin designs.
According to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, the new coins will become legal tender effective 16 June 2026, which is Youth Day.
Youth Day is a public holiday commemorating the 1976 Soweto Uprising depicted on one of the R2 coins.
On that day, thousands of black students peacefully protested against the apartheid government’s mandate to make Afrikaans a compulsory language of instruction in schools.
Police opened fire on the students, sparking months of nationwide unrest and becoming a turning point in the struggle against apartheid.
Charlotte Maxeke was a prominent community leader and political activist who became the first black woman in South Africa to graduate with a university degree.
She graduated with a BSc from Wilberforce University in Ohio in 1901. Upon her return to South Africa, she became actively involved in the fight for reform and rose to prominence within the ANC.
She is often honoured as the “Mother of Black Freedom in South Africa”, with many organisations bearing her name. In education, the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg is named after her.
The new coin designs can be seen below:
R2 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Youth Uprising
R2 commemorating the 125th Graduation Anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke
R2 commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Constitution of South Africa
R5 commemorating Education
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