A campaign has been launched to introduce a new series of South African banknotes honouring former South African President Nelson Mandela.

The campaign is a joint initiative of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and Bank of Namibia (BoN), Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) reported.

SARB's Strategy and Communications head Hlengani Mathebula said the campaign is aimed at educating and raising awareness of the new banknotes, which is legal tender in Namibia.

The notes will come into circulation before the end of the year. The front of the banknotes features Mandela's image while the back shows images of fiveĀ’animals that appear on current South African banknotes.

The campaign is part of a wider communication campaign launched last month by SARB and extended to Namibia and other Common Monetary Area (CMA) countries where the Rand circulates.