The South African Mint stamps ‘children’s rights’ on new coin.

Centurion, South Africa: The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and the South African Mint, a wholly owned subsidiary of the SARB, today released into circulation the first R2 coin in the series of five new R2 commemorative circulations coins to commemorate 25 years of South Africa’s constitutional democracy. The new coin puts a sharp focus on ‘children’s rights’ as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

The inclusion in the Bill of Rights of a special section on the rights of the child was an important development for South African children, most of whom had suffered under apartheid, facing detention without trial, torture and assault. The South African Constitution makes children’s rights a priority and states that the best interests of a child are the overriding concern when it comes to their wellbeing.

The SA25 themed ‘Celebrating South Africa’ coin series features five commemorative R2 circulation coins, a commemorative R5 coin and three collectable coins in gold, silver and bronze alloy.

Speaking at the launch, Tumi Tsehlo, South African Mint Managing Director said, “Our constitution yields an endless variety of subjects, some of which the South African Mint is excited to feature on this new range of commemorative circulation coins. The SA25 range is a tribute to the foresight and ingenuity of the people who made our constitution possible.”

On the design, Johannesburg-based fine artist Neo Mahlangu says, “I wanted to create a design that could capture their innocence, bring back memories of the time when we once were children so that we are constantly reminded to protect and nurture them and in doing so the future of the country.”

The reverse (tails) of the R2 Children’s Rights circulation coin shows a group of cheerful kids. On the obverse (heads), the coin features the national coat of arms together with the date of issue, ‘2019’, and the words ‘South Africa’ written in English and ‘Afrika-Dzonga’ in Xitsonga.

All the SA25 commemorative circulations coins issued by the SARB and the South African Mint, including the collectable range, use a common typeface created by Garth Walker for the Constitutional Court. The typography, as reflected on the commemorative coinage, was created in 2003as a unique way finding system font for the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Garth Walker is credited for the layout of the R5 coins using the typeface.

“Nothing says children more than their unbridled joy of things, and in designing the theme for Children’s Rights, I wanted to capture that innocence and wonder. I see the coin as a celebration of all things children.” Mahlangu adds.

South Africans will soon find these coins in their change; and are encouraged to find, collect and keep these special SA25 circulation coins through a specially designed collectors’ folder produced to hold all the six coins. This folder can be collected, at no cost, from the South African Mint’s retail store in Centurion as well as the various other outlets mentioned on the SA25 website.

The commemorative coins are introduced in a phased manner – two a month – starting with the coin themed ‘Children’s Rights’. The next coin to be issued this month still is the ‘Right to Education’ themed R2 coin.

“I am sure many coin enthusiasts will begin collecting these coins and I would encourage you to share the hobby of yours with someone else, especially children,” says Tsehlo in conclusion.

The SARB Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, announced the SA25 range of commemorative circulation coins earlier this month as part of the celebrations to mark 25 years of SA’s constitutional democracy, together with a series of collectible coins. The SARB would like to reiterate that the new commemorative circulation coins, like all other circulation coins, are ‘normal’ circulation coins that are only worth their face value – R2. The SARB issues commemorative circulation coins as part of its currency production function.

The South African Mint also launched special edition collector’s sets which include all the circulations coins, the R50 silver and the R50 bronze alloy collectable coins. The sets and collectable coins can also be purchased from the various SA Mint outlets listed on the SA25 website, www.sa25.co.za.

More information is also available on:
Twitter: @SAMint
Facebook: @SouthAfricanMint
Instagram: @southafricanmint

NOTE TO EDITORS:

About Artist Neo Mahlangu: Born in Ga-Rankuwa, Neo currently resides in Johannesburg. Her striking bodies of work are created using digital illustrations and charcoal, often experimenting with social media as an additional medium. She aims to create work that inspires self-reflection and introspection with regard to human interaction. Mahlangu has taken part in numerous group exhibitions and was a finalist for the Cassirer Welz Award in 2017. She received the title as one of the Design Indaba Emerging Creatives for 2018, was listed as one of the top ten ‘Young Gauteng’ creatives by 100% Design South Africa. Neo has undergone training practicing design to become a creative and conceptual artist. Subsequent to that, she studied BSc Medical Sciences at the University of Pretoria.