Honour for Tambo

 To mark the 100th anniversary of Oliver Tambo’s birth, the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) revealed four commemorative coins signifying the life and accomplishments of the iconic leader.The event took place at a commemoration ceremony in Boksburg hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni and the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation yesterday morning.

“He would be very humbled that people would want to honour him in such a way,” said Tumelo Radebe, a researcher for the City of Ekurhuleni.

“But he would have also wanted it to be more inclusive of everybody else because he dedicated his life to the betterment of ordinary people.”

Guests at the event included friends and family of the Tambos, government officials and the media.

Radebe spoke of those living in Ekurhuleni’s informal settlements.

“It should be them who should be sitting there at the forefront honouring him,” he said.

The set of coins consists of a 1oz pure gold R500 proof coin, a 1oz sterling silver R50 proof coin, a base-metal R50 non-circulating legal tender coin, and a R5 commemorative circulation coin.

The R5 coin is the only coin of the set that is not a collectable, and will be available to the public as change through retailers and banks.

The choice to make the R50 coin from base-metal was to ensure that the price point would remain low. It was also the first time the South African Mint had made a collectable coin out of copper.

OR Tambo is the second leader after Nelson Mandela to be honoured with commemorative coins.