South Africa not introducing R1,000 banknote or discontinuing R200 note
Posts circulating on social media claim that South Africa will introduce a new R1,000 banknote and that the R200 note will be "no more". Some versions also claim the note would have been launched at the G20 summit, which took place in Johannesburg in November 2025. But this is not true. The South African Reserve Bank has made no such announcement.
"No more R200 woow incredible 👏🙌 New R1000 note will be launched at the G20 summit" reads a caption to an image circulating on Facebook and Instagram.
The image appears to show a R1,000 banknote featuring South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela. The design mimics current South African banknotes, including the colour palette and portrait style. The image looks convincing, leading some users to believe that R200 notes are being scrapped.
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The G20 summit is an annual gathering of the world's major economies, where leaders discuss global economic issues, financial stability, development and cooperation. The most recent summit took place on 22 and 23 November 2025 in South Africa, which held the G20 presidency at the time.
But did South Africa launch a new R1,000 note at the summit and phase out the R200 note? We checked.
Another fake banknote claim
Africa Check has previously debunked fake posts about supposed "new" South African banknotes, including bogus R500 notes and R10 coins.
The first sign that this claim is also not true is that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the authority responsible for issuing and regulating the country's banknotes and coins, has not announced any new banknote denomination on its official website.
South African currency changes, such as the upgraded 2023 banknote and coin series, are always formally communicated through press releases, media briefings and the SARB website.
Had a currency change been announced or launched at the G20, which was widely covered by local and international media, there would have been publicly available evidence of this.
Instead, a reverse image search shows that the R1,000 note shared online does not come from any official or credible source. It resembles a stylised graphic or digital mock-up rather than a genuine banknote with proper security features.
The posts also say "no more R200", suggesting the note is being discontinued. There is no truth to this. According to the reserve bank, there are five denominations of South African banknotes in circulation: R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200.
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The R200 remains the highest denomination in South Africa, and is still being printed and issued by banks and ATMs.
The claim is false and should be ignored.
