Reserve Bank cautions against accepting dye stained banknotes
21 Jul 2021
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) was established on 30 June 1921 to issue, distribute and destroy banknotes and coins. After 100 years of honouring this mandate, the SARB remains committed to ensuring that South Africans have confidence in the integrity of our cash.
The looting and unrest over the past week has resulted in infrastructure being damaged, including some automated teller machines (ATMs). ATMs are equipped with technology to stain banknotes in case of attack. This process of protecting the banknotes defaces them so that they carry no monetary value for people who invade ATMs.
The SARB wishes to advise the public to be aware and cautious of accepting banknotes that have been stained with traces of blue or green ink.
Note that these banknotes are considered the proceeds of crime and have no value and cannot be exchanged.