What is the official currency of South Africa?

The official currency of South Africa is the South African rand.

The rand is abbreviated R and has the international currency code ZAR. It is divided into 100 cents and is issued and managed within the country’s monetary system by the South African Reserve Bank. Rand banknotes feature figures and themes connected with South Africa, while coins carry national symbols and wildlife imagery.

The currency was introduced on 14 February 1961, replacing the South African pound when the country adopted decimal currency and became a republic. Its name comes from the Witwatersrand, the gold-bearing ridge associated with Johannesburg. “Rand” therefore connects South Africa’s money with one of the country’s most important mining regions.

A common mix-up is choosing the South African pound or shilling. Those belonged to the pre-1961 monetary system and are no longer the country’s currency. The rand is also used or accepted within the Common Monetary Area, but South Africa is its principal issuing country.