Sorry to insert South Africa coins into the UK forum but I think this is as close to the "correct" forum as I can get.
First Assumption: South African coins struck during WWII were struck in in the UK (hence the reason I posted this here).
Second Assumption: Royal Mint practices during WWII were a bit more conservative considering war-time material usage.
Third Assumption: Coin collecting in the UK is not as concerned about errors as in the US (and Canada).
Here is a 1943 South Africa 3d coin.
It looks like the "43" has been either repunched or recut.
If that is correct I suspect that was done to extend the die life and conserve steel.
http://www.dcderoo.com/1943-SA-o-40.jpghttp://www.dcderoo.com/1943-SA-r-40.jpghttp://www.dcderoo.com/1943-SAcu.jpgComments please.