A look at the new R500 Mandela coin
In what will have been one of his final acts as finance minister, Malusi Gigaba assented to three new special edition coins featuring Nelson Mandela.
The coins are aimed at honouring the life of the former president of the republic who would have celebrated his centenary on 18 July 2018.
Each coin represents a different stage of Mandela’s life:
- A R50 base metal alloy coin depicting him as a young man;
- A R50 sterling-silver coin depicting him at an older age (his presidential years);
- A R500 24-carat gold coin depicting him in his later years.
All three coins feature South Africa’s coat of arms on the obverse, replacing the Black Wildebeest (or Gnu).
No official pricing or release dates are available at this stage, however the coins have been declared official tender meaning they should be released shortly.
New R5 coin
In January, former finance minister Malusi Gigaba also signed off on the introduction of a new R5 coin for national circulation based on the great man.
It features South Africa’s coat of arms on the obverse, replacing the Black Wildebeest (or Gnu). On the reverse is a portrait of Mandela alongside a latent image featuring the years 1918 and 2018.
According to the attached documentation, the coin is legal tender as of 1 January 2018, and holds the same value as all other R5 coins.
Read: Here’s how many coins you are allowed to use when paying for something in South Africa
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