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eventREF E-0096343Revised

Event record

Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha

Date
28 Aug 1970
Updated
30 Sep 2019
Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha

Malawi officially replaced the Malawian pound with the Kwacha on 28 August 1970. The country had circulated the Pound sterling, the Rhodesian Dollar and the South African Rand at different stages. The Kwacha is divided into hundred Tambala. The word kwacha means “dawn” in the Nyanja and Bemba languages and Tambala means “rooster”. Since its introduction, notes of higher denominations including the 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 note have been gradually added to the Kwacha.

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How we know this

  1. 01Oanda. (2013). Malawi Kwacha[online]. Available at: www.oanda.com[Accessed on 17 August 2013]
  2. 02Encyclopedia of the Nations. (2013). MALAWI[online]. Available at: www.nationsencyclopedia.com[Accessed on 17 August 2013]
  3. 03Potgieter, D.J. et al. (Eds). (1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 7, p. 143).

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2013, August 23). Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096343

South African History Online (2013) 'Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha', South African History Online, 23 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096343 (Accessed: 6 August 2026).

South African History Online, Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096343, (accessed 6 August 2026).

"Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha." South African History Online, 23 Aug. 2013, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096343. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Malawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha." South African History Online. August 23, 2013. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096343.

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