Adhering to a longstanding tradition of putting the portrait of the country’s president on its own smallest denomination bank note, the Bank of Botswana issued a fresh 10-pula notice (the equivalent of 91 cents) on Feb. 22. This was three years later President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi was chosen to his workplace.

The delay has been attributed to COVID-19. Governor of the Bank of Botswana Moses Pelaelo reported the new notes were ordered at November 2019, shortly following the elections, together with delivery and issue anticipated the next August. The lender eventually took delivery in early February.

The new note, known as the”Tiger” at Botswanan slang, retains the exact same design features and green colour of its own paper and polymer predecessors, albeit using the newest presidential portrait emerging around the face. The watermark is obviously a running zebra along with the number 10.

The governor stated it to expand the note of usable life, the polymer has”ultra-post print varnish,” to give protection against liquid and dust. Additionally, it has a fresh bio-guard material to counter germs and virus propagation.

He and his wife, first woman Neo Masisi, purchased 200 brand new notes bearing his portrait in Gaborone upon difficulty.

Two other 10-pula notes remain in flow. Both keep the portrait of former president Ian Khama, 1 cotton paper, another polymer.

The newest Tiger is the topic of some derision in local networking, largely due to its reduced spending ability. While it was used to have the ability to purchase a meal, today it can not even get a street breakfast or a little cola. Some witty ones are stating it’s currently the decision to tip parking lot attendants by putting one in an envelope under your wiper blade and that’s exactly why it needed to be made more lasting. “it is simply a loose switch which exchanges hands more frequently, and can grow to be so worn it finally resembles a dehydrated skin of a dead rodent.”