Nobel Peace Prize Winners: De Klerk and Mandela

The Protea Series commemorates various aspects and importent events in the History of South Africa. In 2005, a theme "Nobel Peace Prize Winners of South Africa" commenced with Chief Albert Luthuli as the first of South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize winners. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was featured on the 2006 Protea coins and joint Nobel Peace Prize winners, Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and Mr Frederick Willem de Klerk will complete this theme in 2007. An extra 1/10 oz gold coin and silver R1 coin will be added to the set, allowing both winners to feature sepately. Therefore the series will consist of 5 coins in 2007.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1993 to Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and Mr Frederick Willem de Klerk for their contribution to the peaceful termination of apartheid and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. Despite their different points of view, Mandela and de Klerk had reached an agreement for a transition to a new political order based on the tenet of one man-one vote. Through their common vision of reconciliation and not by looking back at the past, they had shown personal integrity and great political courage. Their constructive strategy of peace and reconciliation also pointed the way to the peaceful resolution of conflicts elsewhere in the world.

The previous Nobel Laureates Albert Luthuli and Desmond Tutu made important contributions towards racial equity in South Africa. Mandela and de Klerk took the process a major step further. The Nobel Peace Prize for 1993 was jointly awarded to these two South African leaders in recognitions of their efforts and as a pledge of support for the forces of good, in the hope that the advance towards equality and democracy would reach its goal in the very near future. This became a reality in 1994 with the formation of a new democratic South Africa.

When Nelson Mandela bade farewell to Parliament five years after he was sworn in as South Africa's first democratically elected President, he urged South Africans never to forget the past, but to use it as a tool in overcoming the challenges still facing the country. FW de Klerk, who retired from politics in 1997, praised all South Africans for their role in bringing about change in the country, asking them to join hands for futher socio-economic transformation, saying the challenges were still huge.

This Protea coin series celebrates the Nobel Laureates of South Africa and the role they played in successfully transforming South Africa into a vibrant, democratic nation.

Protea Coin Specifications

Proof Set

Limited Edition: 5000

The Protea Proof Set consists of three 24 carat gold coins (R25, 1oz and two R5, 1/10 oz) and two sterling silver coins (R1) packaged together in a blue leatherette box. Each set issued has an individually numbered Certificate of Authenricity. This Certificate of Authenticity guarentees the quality and authenticity of the coins made by the South African Mint Company.

Single Coins

R25 (1 oz) - Limited Edition: 7000

R5 (1/10 oz) de Klerk - Limited Edition: 3000

R5 (1/10 oz) Mandela - Limited Edition: 3000 

R1 (Sterling Silver) de Klerk - Limited Edition: 6000

R1 (Sterling Silver) Mandela - Limited Edition: 6000

R1 (Sterling Silver, unc) de Klerk - Unlimited  

R1 (Sterling Silver, unc) de Klerk - Unlimited 

Certificate of Authenticity

Each coin and coin set issued by the South African Mint Company has a Certificate of Authenticity. The certificate describes the coin’s specifications, the year, the limited edition as well as a short description of the product. It also depicts the signature of the South African Mint’s Managing Director, Mr Andile Mvinjelwa. To prevent the duplication of a South African Mint product, the certificates are re-designed each year to include the coin design and each certificate is individually numbered according to the limited edition of the coin or set. As another security measure, the South African Mint’s logo, which is printed in transparent ink and only visible under ultra-violet light, features as part of the layout.