The Afrikaaner People

In 1652 a small group of employees of the Dutch East India Company were settled on the southern tip of Africa in order to establish a refreshment station for the company's ships en route to the Far East. From 1688 to 1700, they were joined by about 200 French Huguenots and Protestant refugees from Catholic France. From this group the Afrikaners were to develop. In addition, the language took on a more oriental flavour with the arrival of slaves in the Cape, primarily of Malay extraction. Various indigenous langusages contributed to the Afrikaans language as it developed into the language that is spoken today.

In 1795, the British took over Cape. Between 1824 and 1838, a number of Afrikaners, discontent with British rule, trekked deep into the interior with the purpose of establishing independent republics. Two major Boer republics came into being, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.

The reverse of the R1 cultural coin for 2007 reflects the crossing of the Drakensberg by the Voortrekkers (Afrikaans for pioneers, literally meaning "those that move ahead").
The official South African coat of arms, the year "2007",  "South Africa" and "Suid Afrika" (Afrikaans) are depicted on the obverse of this coin.

R1 Gold Coin Specifications

R1 (1/10 oz) Gold Coin 

Limited Edition:    1000

The 24 carat gold R1 (1/10 oz) is packaged in a burgundy leatherette box. Each coin issued has an individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity. This Certificate of Authenticity guarantees the quality and Authenticity of the coins made by the South African Mint.

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.