Johannesburg - The Reserve Bank has to shred more than 3.6 million R100 notes after a botch-up with serial numbers, the Sunday Times reports.
The bills, printed in Sweden, have the same serial numbers as a batch printed locally, the report said.
In addition to that, the notes printed in Sweden are neither the right colour nor size - coming up short by about a millimetre - which poses problems for automated counting machines.
South Africa is redesigning all of its bank notes this year to bear a portrait of first post-apartheid president Nelson Mandela.
The backs of the new bills will retain pictures of the Big Five.
The R100 note has a buffalo on the back.