British Pathe

Johannesburg, South Africa.

L/S of Johannesburg with golden rocks in the foreground. Several street scenes in the city and shots of shop windows as commentator says South Africa has moved on to the decimal coinage system; two middle-aged women in flowerpot hats look at coats and clothes in...

Johannesburg, South Africa.

L/S of Johannesburg with golden rocks in the foreground. Several street scenes in the city and shots of shop windows as commentator says South Africa has moved on to the decimal coinage system; two middle-aged women in flowerpot hats look at coats and clothes in a shop window display; the items have price tags in the old and new money. Other displays show tins of food and cleaning utensils. A man in the street looks at a poster on a wall explaining the difference between pounds and Rands. Great shots in a department store as women look at fabric in the haberdashery department (price labels in cents are clearly seen) and pay for goods; a sales assistant rings up 30 cents on the till.

In a village an African girl counts on her fingers; a white man with a chart explains the new monetary system to an African tribe dressed in bright striped robes. We hear a jingle explaining the new coinage that has been played on the radio - "Decimal Dan, the Rand Cent Man..." - very catchy! Several shots of coins and Rand notes being made at a mint; coins are sorted and examined then packed into sacks by African men. Good shots in a bank; Rand notes are counted out and added up.

In Penge, England, we see a female teacher in a maths class explaining the new South African monetary system and pointing to a chart on the blackboard which shows 'Suggested British Decimal Units'. The girls look on (rather blankly), the teacher writes an equation on the board, then the girls start tapping numbers into their adding machines. The teacher holds up a one Rand note, then writes on the board 'Suggested names for new decimal currency - Britannia / Royal' and '1965?'.

Note: Interesting look at decimalisation in South Africa, as Britain prepares (maybe!) for a similar monetary change. On file is a fold-out chart explaining the new Rand / cent system plus further information from the South African Embassy and correspondence from Pathe.