On 14 February 1961, the rand came into circulation, replacing the South African pound as the country’s official currency. And just like that, consumers could buy goods with crisp new one rand, ten rand and 20 rand notes. By the time the rand had its beginning that Valentine’s Day, many of the biggest South African companies we know today had already been going strong. The brewer we now know as South African Breweries (SAB) was a rare sight when it listed on the JSE in 1897. WoolworthsToday, South African retail giant Woolworths owns 1 492 stores in its three major operating divisions – Woolworths South Africa, David Jones and Country Road Group – across sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Source: News 24 February 18, 2021 11:26 UTC