The Sunday Times reported that Mandela bank notes that went into circulation in November last year have a faulty security feature – the security thread. The thread is produced by a German company and is usually embedded in the note. But reports have surfaced that the security thread is lifting off from notes. This defect could prove to be a “counterfeiter’s haven”.

These Mandela notes are printed by the South African Bank Note Company, which is owned by the South African Reserve Bank and by a Swedish company. The R20, R50 and R200 notes are printed by the Swedish company while the R10 and R100 rand notes are printed by the South African Bank Note Company.

The South African Reserve Bank has denied any claims that the security feature on the Mandela bank notes may be defective.

It was reported that the South African Reserve Bank has received “isolated complaints” regarding some of the printed notes. Hlengani Mathebula from the bank said:

We’ve had complaints from people that have had the note for a very long time. Obviously if the note has been over used, its quality will start deteriorating.

[Source: EWN, News24]