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The wealth of Africa
The end of Apartheid
In 1994 the world's focus was on South
Africa as it moved towards the first democratic elections and the
final dismantling of the racist Apartheid system. Some feared that
the elections might be marred by violence as political groups
jostled for position, but all went
smoothly.
The Apartheid
regime was brought in by the Afrikaner National Party in 1948, to
cement control of the economic and social systems in South Africa.
The banknotes of Apartheid South Africa feature Jan van Riebeeck
(1619-1677), the Dutch administrator who founded Cape Town in
1652.
To reflect the new
South Africa and its national identity many state symbols were
redesigned after 1994. In place of Jan van Riebeeck, the new
banknotes feature South African wildlife - a national symbol
everyone can agree on.