Description

The artwork featured on the 2 Rand Coin is a tribute to the early history of South Africa. The obverse of the coin displays the portrait of Jan van Riebeeck, the Dutch Colonial leader who eventually founded the city of Cape Town. Given his significance in South Africas history, artists have exercised great care in the rendering of his portrait by skillfully replicating each minute detail from the lace on his collar to his signature long coiffure. Encircling his portrait is a ring of text that includes the phrase “Unity is Strength” in both the native African dialect (“Eendrag Maak Mag”) and English.

Depicted on the reverse side of the Rand is an image of a Springbok Antelope frolicking through the grassy fields of its African savanna home. It has been dynamically portrayed in mid-gallop with its slender legs positioned at the appropriate angles so as to provide the creature with the speed it requires to escape its predators. Such details allow the viewer to see this creature as they would in the wild, much like the first settlers of Cape Town. Inscribed along the edge of the coin is the country of mintage in dual languages along with the coins denomination and mintage year.