South Africa’s new coins will become legal tender from 1 January 2023. 

According to Business Tech, there are a host of changes to the designs of the money that South Africans have become accustomed to over the last few decades, as the current coins provide a more modern feel. 

The coins are expected to have a host of other changes which include changes to some of the animals featured on the coins. One other noticeable change will be the more noticeable two-tone R5 coin which has ditched the iconic buffalo as the featured animal, and replaced it with the Southern Whale. 

The R2 coin has replaced the kudu with the springbok and shifted the borders around for a more diamond shape, and the R1 coin replaced the springbok with South Africa’s official flower, the protea.

The key change in the next series is that the word “South Africa” will be inserted on one side of the coins and printed in all the official languages.

The coins will be minted on a rotational system with the use of all the official languages being printed onto the coin over a certain period. For the next ten years, the languages will be alternated annually.

Businesstech