The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has teamed up with the Newcastle Community Policing Forum (CPF) and Newcastle SAPS to educate the community about the upgraded banknotes currently in circulation, aiming to tackle the rising issue of counterfeit money in Newcastle.
In an event jointly organised by the SARB and the Newcastle CPF at the Canon on Thursday evening, 14 September 2023, Newcastle residents had the opportunity to learn how to identify counterfeit notes and understand the purpose of the SARB’s presence in Newcastle.
Newcastle CPF Secretary Talha Randeree highlighted the concerning prevalence of counterfeit money in the area, stating, “We often do not see the upgraded notes until they are in circulation and we have them in our hands.”
This lack of awareness, he highlighted puts the community at risk, as evidenced by two Newcastle businesses falling victim to accepting fake cash, one of which received R5,000 in counterfeit R200 notes.
In response, the SARB reached out to the CPF upon being informed of the situation in Newcastle, leading to the informative session. The primary goal was not only to educate residents on counterfeit money detection but also to stress the importance of reporting individuals involved in circulating counterfeit currency, with the overarching aim of curbing criminal activities and safeguarding the town’s economy.
Phenyo Marumo from the SARB’s Currency Integrity Department outlined key features to identify counterfeit money utilising the upgraded currency, maintaining the original bullet points:
- The main motif is the portrait of former president Nelson Mandela, which is printed on the front of all the bank notes.
- The Big 5 animals appear on the back of the banknote but are done with their respective young, thereby enhancing the family feel.
– R10 – Rhino
– R20 – Elephant
– R50 – Lion
– R100 – Cape Buffalo
– R200 – Leopard
- The colours on the banknotes have been enhanced to improve the visual difference between the notes.
- The South African Flag has been added to the notes.
- The preamble of the South African Constitution appears as micro-lettering on the front of the banknote denominations to the left and right of the main motif and around the watermark. The wording is visible in concentric circular lines in decreasing font sizes, and the abbreviation SARB is repeated on similarly curved lines. The different sized fonts allow the public to examine their banknotes with their naked eye or by means of a magnifying glass.
- The watermark appears to the left of the image of former president Mandela. When held to the light, a shadow of the Big 5 animal, unique to each denomination, is seen together with its denomination numeral.
- The denomination numerals found on the front and back of all the denominations are printed in positive and negative text. The different printed numerals on each denomination assist in identification by visually impaired and partially sighted persons.
- The see through perfect print registration feature appears on the front and back of the banknotes, where two parts of an image are perfectly matched. When the banknote is held to the light, the complete featured animals can be seen.
- A unique matching serial number is on the back of the banknote, comprising letters and numbers printed vertically on the left side of the banknote in red and horizontally on the top right side of the banknote in black. Unlike the previous series of notes, the serial numbers are all printed in the same size.
- The 11 official languages appear as raised printing and can be felt. English appears on the front of all the banknotes. The following languages are on the back of the banknote denominations:
– R10: Afrikaans and Siswati
– R20: Setswana and isiNdebele
– R50: isiXhosa and Tshivenda
– R100: Sesotho sa Leboa/Sespedi and Xitsonga
– R200: Zulu and Sesotho
- The Coat of Arms, the words South Africa Reserve Bank, the Governor’s name and signature, the main motif, and the denomination numeral are all in raised print on the front of all denominations.
- The tactile marks to support the blind and partially blind communities to identify the banknote denominations are included using the spear symbol in the Coat of Arms. The tactile marks are repeated along the short edge of the R10 and R20 banknotes and are on the long edge of the R50, R100 and R200 banknotes in different patterns.
- The upgraded notes also sport colour changing ink with a spin circle feature which is a bright ring that spins and changes colour as the banknote is tilted.
With various methods to identify the upgraded notes, the SARB invited the public to download the SARB app on the Google Play store to assist in distinguishing genuine banknotes from counterfeit currency.
As emphasised during the event, eliminating counterfeit money from society is crucial to mitigate its adverse impact on individuals and the business sector, thus safeguarding the local economy.
We hope this assists you in protecting your business or transactions from counterfeit cash. Share your thoughts and opinions on this issue in the comment section below.
