South Africa is a country with a troubled colonial past but a promising economic future. Its resource base of precious metals and base ores allows it to advance in the manufacturing and mining sectors. South Africa has coal, cars, gold and diamonds. Its currency is the rand. The initials it trades under are ZAR. Currently 100 cents equal 1 rand.
History
South Africa came to the notice of
traders in the mid 17th century as a possible trading post. In 1652,
the Dutch traders established shipping and trade at Cape Town under Jan
van Riebeeck. All coinage were imports from the Netherlands. The first
locally-made currency did not appear until the 1780s. This paper money
circulated in the trading community throughout the 18th century. Also I
regular usage were Portuguese, Italian, Indian and Spanish coins.
In 1795, the British fleet captured the Cape. The result was an
official import of British gold and copper coins. This did not last for
long as the British returned the colony to the Dutch in 1802. The Dutch
minted the first coins for the colony. These guilder coins featured a
ship. They were sent off to South Africa, but the Dutch decided to
reroute them to Java after the British retook the colony in 1806.
A
small amount of the Dutch issue made to Cape Town. The British used
them. There was also British currency as well as older Dutch,
Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Indian currency. To solve the currency
issue and to try to create some sort of conformity, the British began
to mass import their coinage.
In 1825, the official money was
British. In 1866, this included Australian gold. In fact, Australian
gold pieces became legal tender in the province of Natal from 1867 to
1882 and in Bechuanaland in 1885. In the interior, however, European
traders, settlers and missionaries introduced their own coinage into
the territories not under British rule. The issue was still in the
British decimal system. In Griqualand, the money was the first issued
by non-European people. It came out of the London missionary Society
for the Bastards of Griqua Town.
Meanwhile, Dutch settlers continued to control the Transvaal and the Orange Free State in the 19th century. In 1874, the President of Transvaal ordered a coin, the gold pond/pound to be made at the Birmingham mint. It was to feature his portrait and the arms of Transvaal. In the end, the mint only delivered 837 samples. A few years later, the British took over Transvaal. The rule in this region was brief.
The South
African Republic was refounded in the Transvaal in 1883. Paul Kruger
established the country’s first mint at Pretoria. It struck,
eventually, coins in pence, shilling and ponds. In the Orange Free
State, several different trial coins made their first appearance
between 1874 and 1890. These, struck in Germany, included the kroon and
the penny. Traders also had their own token coinage in circulation
throughout these areas.
The Boer War broke out in 1899. Between
1899 and 1902, the Kruger coins ceased, but there were two issues
within the Transvaal. In 1902, an emergency mint for the South Africa
Republic operated in Pilgrim’s Rest producing around 1,000 crudely
struck coins using handcrafted tools from the gold mines.
After the unification of South Africa, the British imposed a single currency. Coins emerged from the re-opened Pretoria mine. Some of the currency featured new designs relating specifically to South Africa. The reverse had inscriptions in both English and Dutch. The 1947 coin featured a running springbok as part of the design.
South Africa became a Republic in 1961. A new issue of coins appeared in the decimal system of 100 cents equal 1 rand. On the reverse, these first coins featured a portrait of Jan van Riebeeck. Over the successive years, the currency mirrored the changes in the colony. From 1965 to 1969, two issues ran concurrently. One had inscriptions in English; another featured Dutch inscriptions. The major change in 2002 was the elimination of the 1 and 2 cent coins. This means merchants round off the purchase to the next whole number.
Today, the currency of South Africa consists of 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1, 2, and 5-rand coins. Banknotes come in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand.
Obtaining South African Rand
You can exchange your own currency for South African rand and cents at banks and foreign exchange counters. Check out the rates for commercial banks and the exchange offices. You can also obtain money from ATMs. You can locate them throughout the major cities of South Africa. There are less ATMs in the rural areas.
Protecting Your Currency
Crime is at a high level in South Africa. This extends beyond petty crime into acts of violence. Armed assault, muggings and theft are common. Take the usual precautions. Do not wander after dark. Crime is higher at night in the major centers. This includes cities and the townships. Avoid wandering into the regions of Hillbrow and Berea in Johannesburg. Only visit the townships under the guidance of a qualified tour company. Other places of concern are railway and bus stations. Commuter and longer distance trains may require extra protective measures. You should not ride second or third class.
Using Your African Rand
The East South African Rand is very handy to have when you visit any of the South African flea or craft markets. Many of these are large concerns, such as the Bruna Market in Johannesburg. There are also hawkers and street vendors along many of the streets. From these sellers, you can purchase local handicrafts and goods. Why not consider work in wire and beads? You can purchase sculptures or decorative goods. You should pick up some examples of South African beadwork or, at the very least, some traditional wooden animal carvings.
Travel Tips and Warnings
- If you go on a safari or visit some game reserve, stay inside your car.
- Go to the wilds only with a reputable company.
- If you go swimming, be aware there are sometimes sharks in such the waters around the False Bay region of the Cape.
- Do not venture into the townships except with a good guide or as part of a guided tour.
- Visit Johannesburg to see the Apartheid Museum.
- There is shopping at Jeffrey’s Bay in Pretoria or wandering through the streets of Cape Town.
- Head off to Kruger National Park or the Kuazulu-Natal Reserves.
- Visit Zululand or the wild coast.
- There is the Royal National Park among the Drakensberg Mountains.
- Go to Sun City and Oudtshorn, the ostrich capital of the world.
- Head for the magnificent Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park or the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park.
Overview
South
Africa is a country with a bitter heritage. Having left apartheid
behind, the country has advanced on a program of industrial
development. It is one of the economic powerhouses of Africa. The
country also has a developed tourist base.
The For factual information and data, go to www.southafrica.info. For travel information, see www.southafrica.net.
Currency Summary
Current currency: rand
100 cents equal 1 rand
Coins: 5, 10, 20 and 50; 1, 2, and 5-rand
Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand