SARB launches R2 coins honouring Charlotte Maxeke and 1956 women
Maxeke's profile celebrates her achievement in becoming the first black SA woman to get a degree.
Black News 
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has officially launched two new two-rand coins to commemorate and celebrate the legacies of Charlotte Maxeke and the women who led and participated in the 1956 Women’s March.
The coin featuring Charlotte Maxeke’s profile celebrates her achievement in becoming the first black South African woman to obtain a university degree 125 years ago.
Addressing delegates at the coin launch, Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago reflected on the historic legacies of women’s role in the liberation struggle.
The governor emphasised that he hopes the coins will inspire more young women to pursue their own achievements and leadership aspirations.
“This is a circulation coin; it’s an ordinary coin. The only difference is it carries the image of this great woman. Remember we are launching two coins: one is about this great woman, Charlotte Maxeke’s graduation, and the other is celebrating the women who gathered just across the road from here where the state theatre is now, that marched against the extension of pass laws to women and this is taking place in the month that we have always been celebrating women,” adds Kganyago.
[IN PICTURES] Yesterday the South African Reserve Bank officially launched two new commemorative circulation coins celebrating important chapters in the history of women in South Africa.
The first R2 coin commemorates 125 years since Charlotte Maxeke became the first black South… pic.twitter.com/8wkeUJqv4W
— SA Reserve Bank (@SAReserveBank) August 27, 2026
Chairperson of the Charlotte Mannya Maxeke Institute, Thulasizwe Makhanya, says South Africa should remain committed to achieving the freedom and equality that the country’s struggle heroes fought for.
“In many instances, she stood her ground and was not intimidated by the boys in the club of her time; perhaps the most difficult task is to unpack and define Charlotte Maxeke for ourselves and ask how she would have defined and responded to the challenges we face today. How she would have responded to gender-based violence and femicide, how she would have responded to inequality of unequal pay. How she would have judged the performance of the government and its institutions, how she would have responded to how the churches are being led today and many other issues,” says Makhanya.
Executive Director of the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation, Elinor Sisulu, says citizenship and inclusion were at the heart of the 1956 women’s march and should remain a priority in modern South Africa.
“One thing we must remember is the issue of citizenship, the fact that black South Africans today are citizens; that march of the women advanced that struggle for citizen and what that means respecting the rights of others and not repeating what’s been done to you, that I think is very important because I think we are moving into an era globally and in our country where the rights of people, especially black people are not being respected and I think this citizenship which these women fought so hard for, must be seen as a freedom that respects others from this continent,” adds Sisulu.
[ICYMI] Yesterday, the South African Reserve Bank officially launched two new commemorative circulation coins marking two major milestones in the advancement of women in South Africa.
The R2 coin celebrating 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March depicts four women holding… pic.twitter.com/RYG3dXelQu
— SA Reserve Bank (@SAReserveBank) August 27, 2026
