50 Rand Constitutional Democracy

Issued to mark the 25th anniversary of South Africa's first democratic elections in April 1994, this piece belongs to a commemorative program the South African Mint has used consistently since the post-apartheid transition to document constitutional milestones in bullion and base-metal formats alike. The 1994 election brought roughly 19 million first-time voters to the polls — nearly 87% turnout — a logistical undertaking that required the Independent Electoral Commission to organize voting across a country that had never run a universal franchise election.

KM#713 is a non-circulating legal tender issue; aluminium bronze was chosen for durability and cost over the gold used in companion pieces from the same series.