Pretoria () is
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
's administrative capital,
serving as the seat of the
executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the
Apies River and extends eastward into the foothills of the
Magaliesberg
The Magaliesberg (historically also known as ''Macalisberg'' or ''Cashan Mountains'') of northern South Africa, is a modest but well-defined mountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of the Pilanesberg (and the Pi ...
mountains. It has a reputation as an academic city and center of research, being home to the
Tshwane University of Technology
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT; af, Tshwane-Universiteit vir Tegnologie) is a higher education institution in South Africa that came into being through a merger of three technikons — Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West an ...
(TUT), the
University of Pretoria (UP), the
University of South Africa (UNISA), the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the
Human Sciences Research Council. It also hosts the
National Research Foundation and the
South African Bureau of Standards. Pretoria was one of the host cities of the
2010 FIFA World Cup.
Pretoria is the central part of the
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality which was formed by the amalgamation of several former local authorities, including
Bronkhorstspruit
Bronkhorstspruit is a town 50 km east of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along the N4 highway towards Witbank. It also includes three townships called Zithobeni, Rethabiseng and Ekangala. On 18 May 2011, the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipal ...
,
Centurion,
Cullinan,
Hammanskraal and
Soshanguve
Soshanguve is a township situated about 30 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa.
The name Soshanguve is an
acronym for Sotho, Shangaan,
Nguni and Venda, thus showing
the multi-ethnic composition of
the ...
. Some have proposed
changing the official name from Pretoria to Tshwane, which has caused some public controversy.
Pretoria is named after the
Voortrekker
The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyo ...
leader
Andries Pretorius, and South Africans sometimes call it the "Jacaranda City", because of the thousands of
jacaranda trees planted along its streets and in its parks and gardens.
History
Pretoria was founded in 1855 by
Marthinus Pretorius, a leader of the
Voortrekkers, who named it after his father
Andries Pretorius and chose a spot on the banks of the ''
Apies rivier'' (
Afrikaans for "Monkeys river") to be the new
capital of the
South African Republic ( nl, Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek; ZAR). The elder Pretorius had become a national hero of the Voortrekkers after his victory over
Dingane and the
Zulus in the
Battle of Blood River in 1838. The elder Pretorius also negotiated the
Sand River Convention
The Sand River Convention ( af, Sandrivierkonvensie) of 17 January 1852 was a convention whereby the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland formally recognised the independence of the Boers north of the Vaal River.
Background
The conven ...
(1852), in which the United Kingdom acknowledged the independence of the
Transvaal. It became the capital of the South African Republic on 1 May 1860.
The founding of Pretoria as the capital of the South African Republic can be seen as marking the end of the Boers' settlement movements of the
Great Trek.
Boer Wars
During the
First Boer War
The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...
, the city was besieged by Republican forces in December 1880 and March 1881. The peace treaty which ended the war was signed in Pretoria on 3 August 1881 at the
Pretoria Convention
The Pretoria Convention was the peace treaty that ended the First Boer War (16 December 1880 to 23 March 1881) between the Transvaal Boers and Great Britain. The treaty was signed in Pretoria on 3 August 1881, but was subject to ratification by ...
.
The
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
resulted in the end of the
Transvaal Republic and start of British
hegemony
Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over oth ...
in South Africa. The city surrendered to British forces under
Frederick Roberts on 5 June 1900 and the conflict was ended in Pretoria with the signing of the
Peace of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other.
This settlement provided f ...
on 31 May 1902 at
Melrose House
Melrose House is a stately mansion and museum located on Burgers Park in Pretoria, South Africa. History
Built in 1886 by the prosperous Pretoria businessman George Jesse Heys, it was named after the famous Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Melrose H ...
.
The
Pretoria Forts were built for the defence of the city just prior to the Second Boer War. Though some of these forts are today in ruins, a number of them have been preserved as national monuments.
Union of South Africa
The Boer Republics of the ZAR and the
Orange River Colony were united with the
Cape Colony and
Natal Colony in 1910 to become the
Union of South Africa. Pretoria then became the administrative capital of the whole of South Africa, with Cape Town the legislative capital and Bloemfontein served as the judicial capital. Between 1910 and 1994, the city was also the capital of the province of
Transvaal. (As the capital of the ZAR, Pretoria had superseded
Potchefstroom in that role.)
On 14 October 1931, Pretoria achieved official city status. When South Africa became a republic in 1961, Pretoria remained its administrative capital.
Geography
Pretoria is situated approximately north-northeast of
Johannesburg in the northeast of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, in a transitional belt between the plateau of the
Highveld to the south and the lower-lying
Bushveld to the north. It lies at an altitude of about
above sea level, in a warm, sheltered, fertile valley, surrounded by the hills of the
Magaliesberg
The Magaliesberg (historically also known as ''Macalisberg'' or ''Cashan Mountains'') of northern South Africa, is a modest but well-defined mountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of the Pilanesberg (and the Pi ...
range.
Climate
Pretoria has a
humid subtropical climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: Cwa) with long hot rainy summers, and short, mild winters. The city experiences the typical winters of South Africa with cold, clear nights and mild to moderately warm days. Although the average lows during winter are mild, it can get cold due to the clear skies, with night time low temperatures in recent years in the range of .
The average annual temperature is . This is rather high, considering the city's relatively high altitude of about , and is due mainly to its sheltered valley position, which acts as a heat trap and cuts it off from cool southerly and south-easterly air masses for much of the year.
Rain is chiefly concentrated in the summer months, with drought conditions prevailing over the winter months, when frosts may be sharp. Snowfall is an extremely rare event; snowflakes were spotted in 1959, 1968 and 2012 in the city, but the city has never experienced an accumulation in its history.
During a nationwide
heat wave in November 2011, Pretoria experienced temperatures that reached , unusual for that time of the year. Similar record-breaking extreme heat events also occurred in January 2013, when Pretoria experienced temperatures exceeding on several days. The year 2014 was one of the wettest on record for the city. A total of fell up to the end of December, with recorded in this month alone. In 2015, Pretoria saw its worst drought since 1982; the month of November 2015 saw new records broken for high temperatures, with recorded on 11 November after three weeks of temperatures between and . Pretoria reached a new record high of on 7 January 2016.
Demographics
Depending on the extent of the area understood to constitute "Pretoria", the population ranges from 700,000 to 2.95 million. The main languages spoken in Pretoria are
Sepedi,
Sesotho,
Setswana,
Xitsonga
Tsonga () or Xitsonga ( ''Xitsonga'') as an endonym, is a Bantu language spoken by the Tsonga people of southern Africa. It is mutually intelligible with Tswa and Ronga and the name "Tsonga" is often used as a cover term for all three, als ...
,
Afrikaans and English. The city of Pretoria has the largest white population in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since its founding, it has been a major
Afrikaner population centre, and there are roughly 1 million Afrikaners living in or around the city.
Ethnic groups
Even since the end of Apartheid, Pretoria itself has had a white majority, albeit with an ever-increasing black middle-class. However, in the townships of
Soshanguve
Soshanguve is a township situated about 30 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa.
The name Soshanguve is an
acronym for Sotho, Shangaan,
Nguni and Venda, thus showing
the multi-ethnic composition of
the ...
and
Atteridgeville black people make up close to all of the population. The largest white ethnic group are the
Afrikaners and the largest black ethnic group are the
Northern Sotho
Northern Sotho, or as an endonym, is a Sotho-Tswana language spoken in the northeastern provinces of South Africa. It is sometimes referred to as or , its main dialect, through synecdoche.
According to the South African National Census o ...
s.
The lower estimate for the population of Pretoria includes largely former white-designated areas, and there is therefore a white majority. However, including the geographically separate townships increases Pretoria's population beyond a million and makes whites a minority.
Pretoria's
Indians were ordered to move from Pretoria to
Laudium on 6 June 1958.
Cityscape
Pretoria is known as the "Jacaranda City" due to the approximately 50,000
Jacarandas that line its streets. Purple is a colour often associated with the city and is often included on local council logos and services such as the
A Re Yeng rapid bus system and the logo of the local
Jacaranda FM radio station.
Architecture
:'
Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in the city. It ranges from 19th century Dutch, German and British
colonial architecture
Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their ...
to
modern,
postmodern,
neomodern
Neomodern or neomodernist architecture is a reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism in architecture, seeking greater simplicity. The architectural style, which is also referred to as New Modernism, is said to have le ...
, and
art deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
architecture styles with a good mix of a uniquely South African style.
Some of the notable structures in Pretoria include the late 19th century
Palace of Justice, the early 20th century
Union Buildings
The Union Buildings ( af, Uniegebou) form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of ...
, the post-war
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. The granite structure is located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. It was designed by the a ...
, the diverse buildings dotting the main campuses of both the
University of Pretoria and the
University of South Africa, traditional
Cape Dutch style
Mahlamba Ndlopfu
, image = Libertas, since 1994 known as Mahlamba Ndlopfu, in 1934 by Gerard Moerdijk designed as official residence in Pretoria for the state of the Union of South Africa. - panoramio.jpg
, caption = Libertas, since 1994 kn ...
(the President's House), the more modern
Reserve Bank of South Africa (office skyscraper) and the Telkom
Lukasrand Tower. Other well-known structures and buildings include the
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, The South African
State Theatre and the Oliver Tambo building which is the Headquarters of the
Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
File:Union_Buildings_Eastern_Wing.jpg, The Eastern Wing of the Union Buildings
File:RSA Pretoria 2.jpg, Old Council Chambers, or '' Ou Raadsaal''
File:Fort Klapperkop.jpg, Fort Klapperkop
File:Neomodernist facade in Pretoria.JPG, Neomodern
Neomodern or neomodernist architecture is a reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism in architecture, seeking greater simplicity. The architectural style, which is also referred to as New Modernism, is said to have le ...
architecture in Pretoria
File:Law Chambers-011 perspective corrected.jpg, The Palace of Justice
Central business district
Despite the many corporate offices, small businesses, shops, and government departments that are situated in
Pretoria's sprawling suburbs, its Central Business District still retains its status as the traditional centre of government and commerce. Many banks, businesses, large corporations, shops, shopping centres, and other businesses are situated in the city centre which is towered by several large skyscrapers, the tallest of which is the Poyntons Building ( tall), the ABSA Building ( tall) and the
Reserve Bank of South Africa building ( tall).
The area contains a large number of historical buildings, monuments, and museums that include the
Pretoria City Hall, Pretorius Square,
Church Square (along with its many historical buildings and statues), and the
Ou Raadsaal. There is also the
Transvaal Museum
The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly the Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa. It is located on Paul Kruger Street, between Visagie and Minnaar Streets, opposite the Pretoria City Hal ...
(the country's leading natural history museum, which although it has changed venues a number of times, has been around since 1892), the
National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (or more colloquially known as the Pretoria Zoo),
Melrose House
Melrose House is a stately mansion and museum located on Burgers Park in Pretoria, South Africa. History
Built in 1886 by the prosperous Pretoria businessman George Jesse Heys, it was named after the famous Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Melrose H ...
Museum in Jacob Maré Street, the
Pretoria Art Museum
The Pretoria Art Museum is an art gallery located in Arcadia, Pretoria in South Africa. The museum in Arcadia Park occupies an entire city block bounded by Park, Wessels, Schoeman and Johann Streets.
The Pretoria Art Museum was established to ho ...
and the
African Window Cultural History Museum.
Several National Departments also have Head Offices in the Central Business district such as the Department of Health, Basic Education, Transport, Higher Education and Training, Sport and Recreation, Justice and Constitutional Development, Public Service and Administration, Water and Environmental Affairs and the National Treasury. The district also has a high number of residential buildings which house people who primarily work in the district.
Parks and gardens
Pretoria is home to the
National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, as well as the
Pretoria National Botanical Garden. There are also a number of smaller parks and gardens located throughout the city, including the
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary, Pretorius Square gardens, the Pretoria
Rosarium
A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses ma ...
,
Church Square, Pretoria Showgrounds,
Springbok Park,
Freedom Park,
Jan Cilliers Park
Jan Cilliers Park is a park in Groenkloof, Pretoria, South Africa. The park on the northern slopes of Klapperkop is also known as Protea Park. The park is dedicated to native plants and offers scenic views of the city and the Union Buildings. The ...
and
Burgers Park, the oldest park in the city and now a national monument. In the suburbs there are also several parks that are notable: Rietondale Park, "Die Proefplaas" in the Queenswood suburb, Magnolia Dell Park, Nelson Mandela Park and Mandela Park Peace Garden and Belgrave Square Park.
Jacaranda city
Pretoria's nickname "the Jacaranda City" comes from the around 70,000 jacaranda trees that grow in Pretoria and decorate the city each October with their purple blossoms. The first two trees were planted in 1888 in the garden of local gardener,
J.D. Cilliers, at Myrtle Lodge on Celliers Street in
Sunnyside. He obtained the seedlings from a Cape Town nurseryman who had harvested them in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
, Brazil. The two trees still stand on the grounds of the Sunnyside Primary School.
The jacaranda comes from tropical South America and belongs to the family
Bignoniaceae
Bignoniaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpetvines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Book ...
. There are around fifty species of jacaranda, but the one found most often in the warmer areas of
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
is
Jacaranda mimosifolia.
At the end of the 19th century, the flower and tree grower James Clark imported jacaranda seedlings from Australia and began growing them on a large scale. In November 1906, he donated two hundred small saplings to the Pretoria City Council, which planted them on Koch Street (today Bosman Street). The city engineer Walton Jameson, soon known as "Jacaranda Jim", launched a program to plant jacaranda trees throughout Pretoria, and by 1971 there would already be 55,000 of them in the city.
Most jacarandas in Pretoria are lilac in colour, but there are also white ones planted on Herbert Baker Street in
Groenkloof.
The Jacaranda Carnival is an old tradition that was held from 1939 to 1964. After a hiatus of over twenty years, it resumed in 1985. Festivities include a colourful march and the crowning of the Jacaranda Queen.
Suburbs
Transportation
Railway
Commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...
services around Pretoria are operated by
Metrorail
METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the 12th ...
. The routes, originating from the city centre, extend south to
Germiston
Germiston, also known as kwaDukathole, is a small city in the East Rand region of Gauteng, South Africa, administratively forming part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since the latter's establishment in 2000. It functions a ...
and
Johannesburg, west to
Atteridgeville, northwest to
Ga-Rankuwa
Ga-Rankuwa is a large settlement located about 37 km north-west of Pretoria. Provincially it is in Gauteng province, but it used to fall in Bophuthatswana during the apartheid years, and under the North West province until the early 2000s.
...
, north to
Soshanguve
Soshanguve is a township situated about 30 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa.
The name Soshanguve is an
acronym for Sotho, Shangaan,
Nguni and Venda, thus showing
the multi-ethnic composition of
the ...
and east to
Mamelodi. Via the
Pretoria–Maputo railway it is possible to access the port of Maputo, in the east.
The
Gautrain
Gautrain is an higher-speed express commuter rail system in Gauteng, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kempton Park and O.R. Tambo International Airport. It takes 15 minutes to travel from Sandton to O.R. Tambo Interna ...
high-speed railway line runs from the eastern suburb of
Hatfield to
Pretoria Station
Pretoria railway station is the central station in Pretoria, the executive capital of South Africa. It is located between Pretoria's central business district and Salvokop, in a 1910 building designed by Herbert Baker. It is the terminus of vario ...
and then southwards to
Centurion,
Midrand
Midrand is a former municipality in central Gauteng, South Africa. It is situated in-between Centurion and Sandton and now forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
History
Midrand was established as a municipality in 1 ...
,
Marlboro
Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Mar ...
,
Sandton
Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs ...
,
Rhodesfield,
OR Tambo International Airport,
Rosebank and
Johannesburg.
Pretoria Station is a departure point for the
Blue Train luxury train.
Rovos Rail, a luxury mainline train safari service operates from the colonial-style railway station at Capital Park. The South African Friends of the Rail have recently moved their vintage train trip operations from the Capital Park station to the Hercules station.
Buses
Various bus companies exist in Pretoria, of which
PUTCO is one of the oldest and most recognised. Tshwane municipality provides the remainder of the bus services.
Road
The
N1 is the major freeway that runs through Pretoria. It enters the city from the south as the
Ben Schoeman Highway
The Ben Schoeman Freeway or Ben Schoeman Highway is the main freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and consists of portions of the M1, N1, and N14. Opened in 1968, it is named after a former Minister of Transport Ben Schoeman, and is un ...
. At the Brakfontein Interchange in
Centurion, the Ben Schoeman Highway becomes the
N14 to Pretoria Central, the N1 turns north-east, then north, as the
Eastern Bypass, bisecting the large expanse of the eastern suburbs, routing traffic from
Johannesburg to
and the north of the country. The N1 is a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...
. The
R101 is the original N1, and served the same function before the construction of the highway. It runs through the centre of city rather than the eastern suburbs.
The
N4 enters the city as a highway from
eMalahleni in the east, merging with the N1 at the Proefplaas Interchange. It begins again north of the city, branching west from the N1 as the
Platinum Highway, forming the
Northern Bypass, and heading to
Rustenburg
Rustenburg (; , Afrikaans and Dutch: ''City of Rest'') is a city at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range. Rustenburg is the most populous city in North West province, South Africa (549,575 in 2011 and 626,522 in the 2016 census). In 20 ...
. The N4 runs east–west through South Africa, connecting
Maputo to
Gaborone. The N4 is a toll road. Before the Platinum Highway was built, the N4 continued passed the Proefplaas Interchange to the city centre, where it became a regular road, before again becoming a partially-tolled highway west of the city towards
Hartbeespoort
Hartbeespoort, informally also known as "Harties", is a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, situated on slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain and the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The name of the town means "gateway of t ...
. These roads through the city centre are now designated as the
M2 (from the Proefplaas Interchange to
Arcadia) and the
M4 (from Arcadia to Hartbeespoort).
There is a third, original east–west road: the
R104, previously named Church Street, also from eMalahleni in the east through Pretoria to Hartbeespoort and Rustenburg in the west. Church Street has been renamed as Stanza Bopape Street from the M16 to Nelson Mandela Drive (M3), Helen Joseph Street from the
M3 to
Church Square, WF Nkomo Street from Church Square to the
R511 and Elias Motswaledi Street from the R511 to
Pelindaba.
The
N14 starts from the R101 just south of the Pretoria CBD, heading south as the
Ben Schoeman Freeway. At the Brakfontein interchange in
Centurion, the Ben Schoeman Highway becomes the N1 to Johannesburg, and the N14 continues as the intersecting west-south-western highway towards
Krugersdorp
Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west ...
. The
R114 parallels the N14 from Centurion to
Muldersdrift.
The
R21 provides a second north–south highway, further east. It starts from the Fountains Interchange south of the city centre, heading south-east to
Monument Park, when it becomes a highway and a toll road. It crosses the N1 at the Flying Saucer Interchange and runs north–south towards
Ekurhuleni
The City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of the East Rand region of Gauteng. The municipality itself is a large suburban region east of Johannesburg. The name ''Ekurhuleni'' m ...
(specifically
Kempton Park and
Boksburg
Boksburg is a city on the East Rand of Gauteng province of South Africa. Gold was discovered in Boksburg in 1887. Boksburg was named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic, W. Eduard Bok. The Main Reef Road linked Boksburg ...
). Importantly, it links Pretoria with the
OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park.
The
R80 highway is a highway in the north-west of the city. The highway begins in
Soshanguve
Soshanguve is a township situated about 30 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa.
The name Soshanguve is an
acronym for Sotho, Shangaan,
Nguni and Venda, thus showing
the multi-ethnic composition of
the ...
and it terminates just north of the city centre at an intersection with the
M1.
Pretoria is also served by many regional roads. The
R55 starts at an interchange with the R80, and runs north–south from
Pretoria West to
Sandton
Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs ...
. The
R50 starts from the N1 in the south-east of the city, and continues south-east towards
Bapsfontein and
Delmas. The
R511 runs north–south from
Randburg
Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort, ...
towards
Brits and barely by-passes Pretoria to the west. The
R514 starts from the M1, north of the city centre, and terminates at the R511 in Hartbeespoort. The
R513 crosses Pretoria's northern suburbs from east to west. It links Pretoria to
Cullinan and
Bronkhorstspruit
Bronkhorstspruit is a town 50 km east of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along the N4 highway towards Witbank. It also includes three townships called Zithobeni, Rethabiseng and Ekangala. On 18 May 2011, the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipal ...
in the east and
Hartbeespoort
Hartbeespoort, informally also known as "Harties", is a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, situated on slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain and the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The name of the town means "gateway of t ...
in the west. The
R566 takes origin in Pretoria's northern suburbs, connecting Pretoria to
Brits. Finally the
R573 starts from the R513, just east of the town and heads north-east to
KwaMhlanga and
Siyabuswa.
Pretoria is also served internally by
metropolitan routes.
Airports
For scheduled air services, Pretoria is served by Johannesburg's airports:
OR Tambo International, south of central Pretoria; and
Lanseria
Lanseria International Airport is a privately owned international airport that is situated north of Randburg and Sandton to the northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757-300 and th ...
, south-west of the city.
Wonderboom Airport in the suburb of Wonderboom in the north of Pretoria primarily services light commercial and private aircraft. However, as from August 2015, scheduled flights from Wonderboom Airport to Cape Town International Airport were made available by SA Airlink. There are two military air bases to the south of the city,
Swartkop and
Waterkloof.
Culture
Media
Since Pretoria forms part the
Tshwane
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
Metropolitan Municipality, most radio, television and paper media is the same as the rest of the metro area.
Radio
There are many radio stations in the greater Pretoria region, some of note are:
Jacaranda FM, previously known as Jacaranda 94.2, is a commercial South African radio station, broadcasting in English and Afrikaans, with a footprint that covers Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West Province and boasts a listening audience of 2 million people a week, and a digital community of more than 1,1 million people a month. The station's format is mainstream adult contemporary with programming constructed around a playlist of hit music from the 1980s, 1990s and now.
Tuks FM is the radio station of the
University of Pretoria and one of South Africa's community broadcasters. It was one of the first community broadcasters in South Africa to be given an FM licence. It is known for contemporary music and is operated by UP's student base.
Radio Pretoria is a community-based radio station in Pretoria, South Africa, whose programmes are aimed at Afrikaners. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in stereo on 104.2 FM in the greater Pretoria area. Various other transmitters (with their own frequencies) in South Africa broadcast the station's content further afield, while the station is also available on
Sentech
Sentech is the signal distributor for the South African broadcasting sector.
Background
Sentech began operations in 1992 as the signal distributor of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Sentech's mandate also included providi ...
's digital satellite platform.
Impact Radio, is a Christian Community Radio Station based in Pretoria, and broadcasting on 103FM in the Greater Tshwane Area.
Television
Pretoria is serviced by
eTV
ETV may stand for:
Television
* e.tv, a South African terrestrial television channel
* Educational Television (Hong Kong), a television series
* Educational television, the use of television in education
* Enhanced TV, an interactive television ap ...
,
SABC
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's stat ...
,
MNET, and
SuperSport
Paper
The city is serviced by a variety of printed publications namely;
Pretoria News is a daily newspaper established in Pretoria in 1898. It publishes a daily edition from Monday to Friday and a Weekend edition on Saturday and Sunday. It is an independent newspaper in the English language that serves the city and its direct environs. It is available online via the Independent online website.
Beeld is an Afrikaans-language daily newspaper that was launched on 16 September 1974. Beeld is distributed in four provinces of South Africa: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West. Die Beeld (English: The Image) was an Afrikaans-language Sunday newspaper in the late 1960s.
Pretoria Creole
Pretoria Sotho (called Sepitori by its speakers) is the urban
lingua franca of Pretoria and the
Tshwane
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
metropolitan area in South Africa. It is a combination of
Tswana
Tswana may refer to:
* Tswana people, the Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions
* Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people
* Bophuthatswana, the former ba ...
and
Northern Sotho (Pedi), with influences from
Tsotsitaal and other black South African languages. It is a creole language that developed in the city during the years of Apartheid.
Museums
*
Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History a.k.a. African Window
*
Freedom Park
* Hapo Museum
*
Kruger House (Residence of the president of the ZAR,
Paul Kruger)
*
Mapungubwe Museum
*
Melrose House
Melrose House is a stately mansion and museum located on Burgers Park in Pretoria, South Africa. History
Built in 1886 by the prosperous Pretoria businessman George Jesse Heys, it was named after the famous Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Melrose H ...
(The
Treaty of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other.
This settlement provided f ...
which ended the
Anglo-Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
was signed here in 1902)
*
National Library of South Africa
The National Library of South Africa is the agency of the government of South Africa which maintains a national library of all published materials relating to the country.
History
In 1818, Lord Charles Somerset, the Cape Colony's first civil ...
*
Pioneer Museum
*
Pretoria Art Museum
The Pretoria Art Museum is an art gallery located in Arcadia, Pretoria in South Africa. The museum in Arcadia Park occupies an entire city block bounded by Park, Wessels, Schoeman and Johann Streets.
The Pretoria Art Museum was established to ho ...
*
Pretoria Forts
*
South African Air Force Museum
The South African Air Force Museum houses exhibits and restores material related to the history of the South African Air Force. The museum is divided into three locations, AFB Swartkop outside Pretoria, AFB Ysterplaat in Cape Town and at the Port ...
*
Transvaal Museum
The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly the Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa. It is located on Paul Kruger Street, between Visagie and Minnaar Streets, opposite the Pretoria City Hal ...
*
Van Tilburg Collection
*
Van Wouw Museum
*
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. The granite structure is located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. It was designed by the a ...
* Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum
* Sammy Marks House
* SP Engelbrecht Museum (history of the NHK church).
* Smuts House Museum
File:Anfiteatro - Freedom Park.jpg, Freedom Park's amphitheatre
File:Culthistory.jpg, African Window
File:4 Paul Kruger's House.jpg, Paul Kruger's House
File:Melrose house SA.jpg, Melrose House
Music
A number of popular South African bands and musicians are originally from Pretoria. These include Desmond and the Tutus, Bittereinder, The Black Cat Bones,
Seether, popular mostwako rapper
JR, Joshua na die Reën and
DJ Mujava who was raised in the town of Attridgeville.
The song "Marching to Pretoria" refers to this city. Pretoria was the capital of the
South African Republic (a.k.a. Republic of the Transvaal; 1852–1881 and 1884–1902) the principal battleground for the
First and
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
, the latter which brought both the Transvaal and the Orange Free State republic under British rule. "Marching to Pretoria" was one of the songs that British soldiers sang as they marched from the
Cape Colony, under British Rule since 1814, to the capital of the Southern African Republic (or in Dutch, ''Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek''). As the song's refrain puts it: "We are marching to Pretoria, Pretoria, Pretoria/We are marching to Pretoria, Pretoria, Hurrah."
The opening line of
John Lennon's
Beatles' song
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" a ...
, "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together", is often believed to be based on the lyric "I'm with you and you're with me and so we are all together" in "Marching to Pretoria". Lennon denied this, insisting his lyrics came from "nothing".
Performing arts and galleries
Pretoria is home to an extensive portfolio of public art. A diverse and evolving city, Pretoria boasts a vibrant art scene and a variety of works that range from sculptures to murals to pieces by internationally and locally renowned artists. The
Pretoria Art Museum
The Pretoria Art Museum is an art gallery located in Arcadia, Pretoria in South Africa. The museum in Arcadia Park occupies an entire city block bounded by Park, Wessels, Schoeman and Johann Streets.
The Pretoria Art Museum was established to ho ...
is home to a vast collection of local artworks. After a bequest of 17th century Dutch artworks by Lady Michaelis in 1932 the art collection of Pretoria City Council expanded quickly to include South African works by Henk
Pierneef,
Pieter Wenning
Pieter Willem Frederick Wenning (9 September 1873 – 24 January 1921) was a South African Painting, painter and etcher, considered to be the progenitor of the style of Cape Impressionism.
Early life and education
Pieter Wenning was born in The ...
,
Frans Oerder,
Anton van Wouw and
Irma Stern.
And according to the museum: "As South African museums in Cape Town and Johannesburg already had good collections of 17th, 18th and 19th century European art, it was decided to focus on compiling a representative collection of South African art" making it somewhat unusual compared to its contemporaries.
Pretoria houses several performing arts venues including:
the
South African State Theatre which houses the arts of
Opera,
musicals,
plays
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
and comedic performances.
A 9 metre tall statue of former president
Nelson Mandela was unveiled in front of the
Union Buildings
The Union Buildings ( af, Uniegebou) form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of ...
on 16 December 2013. Since Nelson Mandela's inauguration as South Africa's first majority elected president the Union Buildings have come to represent the new 'Rainbow Nation'. Public art in Pretoria has flourished since the
2010 FIFA World Cup with many areas receiving new public artworks.
Sport
One of the most popular sports in Pretoria is
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
.
Loftus Versfeld is home to the
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls) is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are based at Loftus Versfe ...
, who compete in the domestic
Currie Cup, and also to the
Bulls in the international
United Rugby Championship competition. The Bulls rugby team, which is operated by the Blue Bulls, won the Super Rugby competition in
2007,
2009 and
2010. Loftus Versfeld also hosts the
football side
Mamelodi Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football ...
.
Pretoria also hosted matches during the
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.
The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...
. Loftus Versfeld was used for some matches in the
2010 FIFA World Cup.
Association football is one of the most popular sports in the city. There are two football teams in the city playing in South Africa's top-flight football league, the
Premier Soccer League. They are
Mamelodi Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football ...
and
Supersport United. Supersport United were the
2008–09 PSL Champions. Following the 2011/2012 season the
University of Pretoria F.C. gained promotion to the
South African Premier Division, the top domestic league, becoming the third Pretoria-based team in the league. After a poor league finish in the 2015/2016 season, University of Pretoria F.C. were relegated to the
National First Division, the second-highest football league in South Africa, in the 2016
Premier Soccer League promotion/relegation play-offs.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
is also a popular game in the city. As there is no international cricket stadium in the city, it does not host any top-class cricket tournaments, although the nearby situated
Centurion has
Supersport Park which is an international cricket stadium and has hosted many important tournaments such as
2003 Cricket World Cup,
2007 ICC World Twenty20
The 2007 ICC World Twenty20 was the inaugural Twenty20 International cricket world championship, contested in South Africa from 11 to 24 September 2007. Twelve teams took part in the thirteen-day tournament—the ten Test-playing nations and the ...
,
2009 IPL and
2009 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in South Africa between 22 September and 5 October, at Wanderers Stadium and Centurion Park, both in the Gauteng province. Originally, the tournament was schedul ...
. The most local franchise team to Pretoria is the
Titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...
, although
Northerns occasionally play in the city in South Africa's provincial competitions. Many Pretoria born cricketers have gone on to play for
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, including former international captains
AB de Villiers
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a former South African international cricketer. AB de Villiers was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five W ...
Faf du Plessis.
The Pretoria Transnet Blind Cricket Club is situated in Pretoria and is the biggest Blind Cricket club in South Africa. Their field is at the Transnet Engineering campus on Lynette Street, home of differently disabled cricket. PTBCC has played many successful blind cricket matches with abled bodied teams such as the South African Indoor Cricket Team and TuksCricket Junior Academy. Northerns Blind Cricket is the Provincial body that governs PTBCC and Filefelfia Secondary School. The Northern Blind Cricket team won the 40 over National Blind Cricket tournament that was held in Cape Town in April 2014.
The city's ''Sun Arena'' at ''Times Square'' hosted the
NBA Africa Game 2018.
Places of worship
Among the
places of worship
A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...
, they are predominantly
Christian churches and temples :
Zion Christian Church,
Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa,
Assemblies of God,
Baptist Union of Southern Africa (
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...
),
Methodist Church of Southern Africa (
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this ...
),
Anglican Church of Southern Africa (
Anglican Communion),
Presbyterian Church of Africa (
World Communion of Reformed Churches),
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria (
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
). There are also
Muslim mosques and
Hindu temples.
Jewish community
Pretoria has a small Jewish community of around 3,000. Jewish citizens have been in Pretoria since its foundation in the 19th century and played an important role in its industrial and economic growth. A Mr. De Vries, the first Jewish inhabitant of Pretoria, was a prominent citizen and prosecutor, a member of the
Volksraad and a pioneer of the
Afrikaans language. Another famed Jewish Pretorian was
Sammy Marks.
Other early Jewish settlers, many of them immigrants from
Lithuania, were not as educated as De Vries and often did not speak Dutch, Afrikaans, or English. Many of them spoke only
Yiddish and made a living as shopkeepers in the local retail industry. Most Jewish residents stayed neutral in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
, though some joined the
South African Republic army.
The first congregation was founded between 1890 and 1895, and in 1898 the first synagogue opened on Paul Kruger Street. A second synagogue, known as the Great Synagogue, opened in 1922. Both synagogues are no longer in operation, but a
Reformed synagogue, Temple Menorah, opened in the early 1950s.
The Jewish community of Pretoria's golden age was in the early 20th century, when many Jewish sports clubs, charities, and youth groups flourished. After 1948, many Jews left for Cape Town or Johannesburg.
The synagogue on Paul Kruger Street was purchased by the government in 1952 to become the new home of the High Court where prominent opposition figures in the
Anti-Apartheid Movement
The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...
were tried, including
Nelson Mandela,
Walter Sisulu
Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC Deputy President (1991–1994), h ...
, and 26 others were prosecuted for treason from 1 August 1958 to 29 March 1961; the
Rivonia Trial was held there in 1963–1964.
Two Jewish schools arose in Pretoria, the Miriam Marks School, which was founded in 1905, and the Carmel School, which opened in 1959. Only the second, currently also operating as a synagogue, remains. Pretoria's Reformed congregation shares a rabbi with the Johannesburg one, though the synagogue no longer operates and services take place in worshippers' private homes.
Buddhist community
A
Buddhist center, the Jang Chup Chopel Rigme Centre ("Center of Light") was founded in early January 2015 by Duan Pienaar or Gyalten Nyima (his adopted monastic name) in
Waverley Waverley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott
** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel
* Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...
around Pretoria-Moot. Pienaar is the only Afrikaner ordained in the highly selective
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
an
Tantric Buddhist
Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
community in
Bylakuppe, in southern India. His instructor
Lama Kyabje Choden Rinpoche is the highest tantric master after the
Dalai Lama. Pienaar, who studied Buddhist teachers for twenty years, spent two years in India.
Coat of arms
The Pretoria civic arms, designed by Dr. Frans Engelenburg,
[Bodel, J.D.; 'The Coat of Arms and Other Heraldic Symbols of the City of Pretoria' in ''Pretoriana'' (November 1989).] were granted by the
College of Arms on 7 February 1907. They were registered with the Transvaal Provincial Administration in March 1953
[Transvaal ''Official Gazette'' 2372 (11 March 1953).] and at the
Bureau of Heraldry
Bureau ( ) may refer to:
Agencies and organizations
*Government agency
*Public administration
* News bureau, an office for gathering or distributing news, generally for a given geographical location
* Bureau (European Parliament), the administrat ...
in May 1968.
[http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za] The Bureau provided new artwork, in a more modern style, in 1989.
['Nuwe Standswapen' in ''Toria'' (July 1989).]
The arms were: ''Gules, on an mimosa tree eradicated proper within an orle of eight bees volant, Or, an inescutcheon Or and thereon a Roman praetor seated proper''. In layman's terms : a red shield displaying an uprooted mimosa tree surrounded by a border of eight golden bees, superimposed on the tree is a golden shield depicting a Roman praetor. The tree represented growth, the bees industry, and the praetor (judge) was an heraldic pun on the name.
The crest was a three-towered golden castle; the supporters were an eland and a kudu; and the motto ''Praestantia praevaleat Pretoria''.
The coat of arms have gone out of favour after the City Council amalgamated with its surrounding councils to form the
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
Education
Primary education
*
Crawford College
*
St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls
Secondary education
*
Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool
Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Colloquially known as Meisies Hoër) is a public, Afrikaans medium high school for girls situated in the suburb of Clydesdale in Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is the sister school o ...
*
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool
*
Christian Brothers' College
*
Clapham High School
*
Cornwall Hill College
Cornwall Hill College is a private, boarding English medium co-educational preparatory and college situated of the suburb in Irene in Centurion in the Gauteng province of South Africa.
Controversies
In June 2021, the school was accused of rac ...
*
Crawford College
*
The Glen High School
*
Hillview High School
*
Hoërskool Menlopark
*
Hoërskool Oos-Moot
*
Hoërskool Overkruin
*
Hoërskool Waterkloof
*
Hoërskool Wonderboom
*
Pretoria Boys High School
*
Pretoria Chinese School
Pretoria Chinese School is a school in Wingate Park, Eastern Pretoria, established in 1934.
History
In order to preserve their culture and provide quality education for their children, the Young Chinese Cultural league and the Chinese Community ...
*
Pretoria High School for Girls
*
Pretoria North High School
Pretoria North High School is a public funded government high school in Pretoria, Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauten ...
*
Pretoria Secondary School
*
Pro Arte Alphen Park
*
St. Alban's College
*
St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls
*
Tshwane Muslim School
The Pretoria Muslim School (PMS) also now known as the Tshwane Muslim School is located in Laudium
Laudium () is an Indian township (apartheid classification) in southwest of central Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municip ...
*
Tyger Valley College
*
Willowridge High School
International schools
*
École Miriam Makeba (French school)
*
Deutsche Schule Pretoria (German school)
*
AISJ-Pretoria
Tertiary education
Pretoria is one of South Africa's leading academic cities and is home to both the largest residential university in South Africa, largest distance education university in South Africa and a research intensive university. The three Universities in the city in order of the year founded are as follows:
University of South Africa
The
University of South Africa (commonly referred to as Unisa), founded in 1873 as the
University of the Cape of Good Hope
The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created when the Molteno government passed Act 16 of 1873 in the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinati ...
, is the largest university on the African continent and attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. It spent most of its early history as an examining agency for Oxford and Cambridge universities and as an incubator from which most other universities in South Africa are descended. In 1946 it was given a new role as a distance education university and in 2012 it had a student headcount of over 300,000 students, including African and international students in 130 countries worldwide, making it one of the world's mega universities. Unisa is a dedicated open distance education institution and offers both vocational and academic programmes.
University of Pretoria
The
University of Pretoria (commonly referred to as UP, Tuks, or Tukkies) is a multi campus
public research university. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the
Johannesburg based
Transvaal University College and is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation to be awarded university status. Established in 1920, the
University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science
The Faculty of Veterinary Science is a faculty of the University of Pretoria. Founded in 1920, it is the second oldest veterinary faculty in Africa. With the exception of the faculties in Khartoum (Sudan, 1938), and Cairo (Egypt, 1946), all t ...
is the second oldest
veterinary school in Africa and the only veterinary school in South Africa. In 1949 the university launched the first MBA programme outside of North America. Since 1997, the university has produced more research outputs every year than any other institution of higher learning in South Africa, as measured by the Department of Education's accreditation benchmark.
Tshwane University of Technology
The
Tshwane University of Technology
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT; af, Tshwane-Universiteit vir Tegnologie) is a higher education institution in South Africa that came into being through a merger of three technikons — Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West an ...
(commonly referred to as TUT) is a
higher education institution, offering
vocational
A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious c ...
oriented diplomas and degrees, and came into being through a merger of Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West and Technikon Pretoria. TUT caters for approximately 60,000 students and it has become the largest residential higher education institution in South Africa.
CSIR
The
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is South Africa's central scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of
parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own
campus in the city. It is the largest research and development organisation in Africa and accounts for about 10% of the entire African R&D budget. It has a staff of approximately 3,000 technical and scientific researchers, often working in multi-disciplinary teams. In 2002, Dr. Sibusiso Sibisi was appointed as the president and CEO of the CSIR.
Military
Pretoria has earned a reputation as being the centre of South Africa's Military and is home to several military facilities of the
South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister ...
:
Military headquarters
Transito Air Force Headquarters
This complex is the headquarters to the
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
.
The Dequar Road Complex
A military complex that houses the following:
*
South African Army's Headquarters
*
South African Infantry Formation HQ
* A General Support Base
* Support Formation HQ
* Training Formation HQ
* The 102 Field Workshop unit
* The 17 Maintenance Unit
* The S.A.M.S Military Health Department.
The Sebokeng Complex
A military complex located on the corner of Patriot Street and Koraalboom Road that houses the following military headquarters:
*
South African Army Armour Formation HQ
*
South African Army Artillery Formation
The South African Army Artillery Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army artillery units. It draws much of its history from the South African Artillery, established in 1934 but with roots that reach back to 1921. The formati ...
HQ
* South African Army Intelligence Corps HQ
* South African Army Air Defence Artillery Formation HQ
Military bases
The Dequar Road Base
This base is situated in the suburb of Salvokop and is divided into two parts:
* The Green Magazine (Groen Magazyn) which is the Headquarters to the
Transvaalse Staatsartillerie, A reserve artillery regiment of the
South African Army
* Magazine Hill which is the regimental Headquarters to the
Pretoria Armoured Regiment
The Pretoria Armour Regiment (formerly the Pretoria Regiment) is a reserve armoured regiment of the South African Army.
History Origin
The regiment was formed in Pretoria on 1 July 1913 as the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) – a unit of t ...
, A reserve tank regiment of the
South African Army.
Thaba Tshwane
Thaba Tshwane is a large military area south-west of the Pretoria Central Business District and North of
Air Force Base Swartkop. It is the headquarters of several army units-
* Joint Support Base Garrison that is responsible for the town management of Thaba Tshwane
* The Tshwane Regiment, a reserve
motorised infantry
Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, whic ...
regiment of the South African Army
* The
18 Light Regiment, a reserve artillery regiment of the South African Army
* The National Ceremonial Guard and Band
The military base also houses the 1 Military Hospital and the Military Police School. Within Thaba Tshwane, a facility known as "TEK Base" exists which houses its own units:
* The SA Army Engineer Formation
* 2 Parachute Battalion
* 44 Parachute Engineer Regiment
* 1 Military Printing Regiment
* 4 Survey and Map Regiment
Joint Support Base Wonderboom
The Wonderboom Military Base is located adjacent to the Wonderboom Airport and is the headquarters of the
South African Army Signals Formation. It also houses the School of Signals, 1 Signal Regiment, 2 Signal Regiment, 3 Electronic Workshop, 4 Signal Regiment and 5 Signal Regiment.
Military colleges
The
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
College, the
South African Military Health Service School for Military Health Training and the
South African Army College are situated in the Thaba Tshwane Military Base and are used to train Commissioned and Non-commissioned Officers to perform effectively in combat/command roles in the various branches of the South African National Defence Force. The South African Defence Intelligence College is also located in the Sterrewag Suburb north of
Air Force Base Waterkloof
Air Force Base Waterkloof is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is situated on the outskirts of Pretoria, and is the SAAF's busiest airbase. The base's name, ''Waterkloof'', is Afrikaans. It means ''Water Ravine'' in English. Despite ...
.
Air force bases
While technically not within the city limits of Pretoria,
Air Force Base Swartkop and
Air Force Base Waterkloof
Air Force Base Waterkloof is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is situated on the outskirts of Pretoria, and is the SAAF's busiest airbase. The base's name, ''Waterkloof'', is Afrikaans. It means ''Water Ravine'' in English. Despite ...
are often used for defence related matters within the city. These may include aerial military transport duties within the city, aerospace monitoring and defence as well as VIP transport to and from the city.
Proposed change of name
On 26 May 2005 the
South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC), which is linked to the Directorate of Heritage in the Department of Arts and Culture, approved changing the name of Pretoria to
Tshwane
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
, which is already the name of the Metropolitan Municipality in which Pretoria and a number of surrounding cities are located. Although the name change was approved by the SAGNC, it was not approved by the Minister of Arts and Culture, who at the time requested further research on the matter. Should the Minister approve the name change, the name will be published in the Government Gazette, giving the public opportunity to comment on the matter. The Minister can then refer that public response back to the SAGNC before presenting a recommendation before parliament for a vote. Various public interest groups warned that any name change would be challenged in court, should the minister approve it. The long process involved makes a name change less likely.
The Tshwane Metro Council has advertised "Africa's leading capital city" as ''Tshwane'' since the SAGNC decision in 2005. This has led to further controversy, however, as the name of the city had not yet been changed, and the council was, at best, acting prematurely. When a complaint was lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), it ruled that such advertisements are deliberately misleading and should be withdrawn from all media. Despite the rulings of the ASA, Tshwane Metro Council failed to discontinue their "City of Tshwane" advertisements. As a result, the ASA requested that Tshwane Metro pay for advertisements in which it admits that it has misled the public. After refusing to abide by the ASA's request, the Metro Council was banned from placing any advertisements in the South African media that refer to the capital as Tshwane. ASA may still place additional sanctions on the Metro Council that would prevent it from placing any advertisements in the South African media, including council notices and employment vacancies.
After the ruling, the Metro Council continued to place ''Tshwane'' advertisements, but placed them on council-owned advertising boards and busstops throughout the municipal area. In August 2007, an internal memo was leaked to the media in which the Tshwane mayor sought advice from the premier of Gauteng on whether the municipality could be called the "City of Tshwane" instead of just "Tshwane". This could increase confusion about the distinction between the city of Pretoria and the municipality of Tshwane.
In early 2010 it was again rumoured that the South African government would make a decision regarding the name; however, a media briefing regarding name changes, which could have been an opportunity to discuss it, was cancelled shortly before taking place. Rumours of the name change provoked outrage from Afrikaner civil rights and political groups. It later emerged that the registration of the municipality as a geographic place had been published in the
government gazette
A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establis ...
as it had been too late to withdraw the name from the publication, but it was announced that the name had been withdrawn, pending "further work" by officials. The following week, the registration of "Tshwane" was officially withdrawn in the Government Gazette. The retraction had reportedly been ordered at the behest of the
Deputy President of South Africa
The deputy president of South Africa is the deputy to the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa and is a member of the National Assembly and the Cabinet. The deputy president is constitutionally required to "assis ...
Kgalema Motlanthe, acting on behalf of President Jacob Zuma, as minister of Arts and Culture
Lulu Xingwana
Lulama "Lulu" Marytheresa Xingwana (born 23 September 1955) is a South African politician who served as Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities from November 2010 to May 2014. Previously she held the position of Deputy Ministe ...
had acted contrary to the position of the ANC, which is that Pretoria and the municipality are separate entities, which was subsequently articulated by ANC secretary general
Gwede Mantashe
Samson Gwede Mantashe, popularly known as Gwede Mantashe, (born 21 June 1955) is a South African politician and trade unionist, who as of 18 December 2017, serves as the National Chairperson of the African National Congress. He is also a former ...
.
In March 2010, the "Tshwane Royal House Committee", claiming to be descendants of Chief Tshwane, called for the name to be changed, and for the descendants of Chief Tshwane to be recognised, and to be made part of the administration of the municipality.
According to comments made by Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa in late 2011, the change would occur in 2012. However, there remained considerable uncertainty about the issue.
, the proposed name change has not occurred.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Pretoria is
twinned with:
*
Amman, Jordan
*
Baku, Azerbaijan
*
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, Romania
*
Bulawayo
Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...
, Zimbabwe
*
Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
, Ghana
*
Kyiv, Ukraine
*
Port Louis, Mauritius
*
Taipei, Taiwan
*
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, Iran
*
Washington, D.C., United States
Notable people
*
Anel Alexander – actress
*
Carrim Alli – a police captain whose murder made national headlines
*
Frances Ames – neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist
*
Melinda Bam – Miss South Africa 2011
*
Johan Barkhuizen
Johan Barkhuizen (born 1 September 1982) was a South African cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a rightarm medium-fast bowler who played for Limpopo. He was born in Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, se ...
– cricketer
*
Margaret Becklake – academic and epidemiologist
*
Daniel Bekker – athlete
*
Deanne Bergsma – ballerina
*
Conrad Bo – artist
*
Roelof Botha – venture capitalist
*
Wim Botha
Wim Botha (born 1974) is a South African contemporary artist.
Biography
Botha was born in Pretoria in 1974 and currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa. He grew up in a suburban town on the eastern side of Pretoria. In 1996, Botha graduated ...
– artist
*
Rory Byrne – chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari Formula One teams
*
Jan-Henning Campher Rugby union player
*
Sharlto Copley
Sharlto Copley (born 27 November 1973) is a South African actor. His acting credits include roles in the Academy Award-nominated science fiction film ''District 9'', the 2010 adaptation of ''The A-Team'', the science fiction film ''Elysium'', t ...
– actor
*
Kurt Darren – singer-songwriter
*
Rassie van der Dussen – Cricketer
*
Damon Galgut –
Booker Prize-winning author
*
Branden Grace – golfer
*
Nigel Green
Nigel McGown Green (15 October 192415 May 1972) was an English character actor. Because of his strapping build, commanding height () and regimental demeanour he would often be found playing military types and men of action in such classic 1960s ...
– actor
*
George Gristock
George Gristock VC (14 January 1905 – 16 June 1940) was a South African serving in the British Army and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to ...
– Victoria Cross recipient
*
Steve Hofmeyr – singer, songwriter and actor
*
Bobby van Jaarsveld South African singer-songwriter
*
Glynis Johns
Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...
– actress
*
Gé Korsten – opera tenor and actor
*
Anneline Kriel – Miss South Africa 1974 & Miss World 1974
*
Paul Kruger – president of the
South African Republic
*
Thomas Madigage – soccer player
*
Tony Maggs
Anthony Francis O'Connell Maggs (9 February 1937 in Pretoria, South Africa – 2 June 2009) was a racing driver from South Africa. He participated in 27 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 15 July 1961. He achieved three pod ...
–
Formula 1 driver
*
Vusi Mahlasela – singer-songwriter
*
Justice Mahomed – former Chief Justice of South Africa, co-authored the constitution of Namibia
*
Magnus Malan
General Magnus André de Merindol Malan (30 January 1930 – 18 July 2011) was a South African military figure and politician during the last years of apartheid in South Africa. He served respectively as Minister of Defence in the cabinet of P ...
– Minister of Defence in the cabinet of President P. W. Botha
*
Eugène Marais – lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer
*
Sammy Marks – entrepreneur
*
Herman Mashaba - the former Mayor of Johannesburg
*
Thulasizwe Mbuyane – soccer player
*
Karin Melis Mey – athlete
*
Marc Milligan – cricketer
*
Tim Modise – journalist, TV and radio presenter
*
Lucas Moripe - soccer player (Pretoria Callies FC)
*
Chris Morris – cricketer
*
Michelle Mosalakae
Michelle Mosalakae (born 1994), is a South African actress, writer and theatre director.
Early life and education
Michelle Mosalakae was born in Mabopane, north of Pretoria to Tswana parents. She developed her love of acting at an early age. ...
– actress & theatre director
*
Es'kia Mphahlele
Es'kia Mphahlele (17 December 1919 – 27 October 2008) was a South African writer, educationist, artist and activist celebrated as the Father of African Humanism and one of the founding figures of modern African literature.
He was given the ...
– writer, educator, artist and activist celebrated as the Father of African Humanism
*
Helene Muller – athlete
*
Elon Musk – entrepreneur and business magnate, current richest man in the world
*
Kimbal Musk – entrepreneur
*
Franco Naudé – Rugby union player
*
Sean Nowak – cricketer
*
Micki Pistorius – profiler and author
*
Oscar Pistorius – athlete and convicted murderer
*
Faf du Plessis – cricketer
*
Louis Hendrik Potgieter – member of
Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan (; "Genghis Khan") was a German Eurodisco pop band. It was originally formed in Munich in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song " Dschinghis Khan". The original group led by original members Henriette Str ...
pop band
*
Austin Stevens – herpetologist, wildlife photographer, film maker and author
*
Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) is a South African-American actor. He is famous for roles such as Imhotep in '' The Mummy'' and ''The Mummy Returns'', Colonel Coetzee in ''Blood Diamond'', Pik van Cleef in ''Hard Target'', Dr. Peyton Westlak ...
– actor
*
Casper de Vries – comedian
*
Joost van der Westhuizen
Joost Heystek van der Westhuizen (20 February 1971 – 6 February 2017) was a South African professional rugby union player who made 89 appearances in test matches for the national team, scoring 38 tries. He mostly played as a scrum-half and ...
– rugby union player
*
Anton van Wouw – sculptor and artist
Places of interest
*
Pretoria National Botanical Garden, a botanical garden containing a massive collection of native flora.
*
The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, the premier zoological gardens of South Africa.
*
Church Square, the historical governmental centre of the
South African Republic.
*
Union Buildings
The Union Buildings ( af, Uniegebou) form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of ...
, the executive branch of the South African government.
*
Mahlamba Ndlopfu
, image = Libertas, since 1994 known as Mahlamba Ndlopfu, in 1934 by Gerard Moerdijk designed as official residence in Pretoria for the state of the Union of South Africa. - panoramio.jpg
, caption = Libertas, since 1994 kn ...
, the official residence of the President of South Africa.
*
Marabastad
Marabastad (also called Asiatic Bazaar or Location) is a business area near the city centre of Pretoria, South Africa. The original ''Maraba Village'', situated just to the south of the present Marabastad, was founded and ruled by the Ndebele C ...
, a historical shopping district for non-whites during Apartheid.
*
Menlyn Park, shopping area
*
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. The granite structure is located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. It was designed by the a ...
, a historical complex dedicated to the
Great Trek.
* Hatfield Square, the main student relaxation district.
*
Pretoria railway station, a historical landmark and departure point for metrorail and
Gautrain
Gautrain is an higher-speed express commuter rail system in Gauteng, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kempton Park and O.R. Tambo International Airport. It takes 15 minutes to travel from Sandton to O.R. Tambo Interna ...
trains.
*
Freedom Park, a historical complex dedicated to the end of
Apartheid and the fallen soldiers of South Africa after 1994.
*
Pretoria Forts, historical bastions designed to protect the city against the British, including a museum on the
Boer Wars
The military history of South Africa chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. It covers civil wars and wars of aggression and of self-defence both within South Africa and against it. It in ...
.
*
State Theatre, South Africa, the premier national performing arts complex.
*
Government House, Pretoria
Nature reserves
* Chamberlain Bird Sanctuary
*
Faerie Glen Nature Reserve
*
Groenkloof Nature Reserve
* Moreletaspruit Nature Reserve
*
Rietvlei Nature Reserve
Rietvlei Nature Reserve, located in southern Pretoria, is about in size, and includes the entirety of the Rietvlei Dam which impounds the Rietvlei River, in Gauteng, South Africa. The reserve is wedged between the R21 highway ( OR Tambo Ai ...
* Roodeplaat Dam Provincial Nature Reserve
*
Wonderboom Nature Reserve
See also
*
Sir Herbert Baker
*
Houses of Parliament, Cape Town
The Houses of Parliament of South Africa are situated in Cape Town. The building consists of three main sections: the original building, completed in 1884, and additions constructed in the 1920s and 1980s. The newer additions house the National A ...
*
Pretoria Wireless Users Group—a free, non-profit, community wireless network in Pretoria
*
Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), formerly known as the Appellate Division, is an appellate court in South Africa. It is located in Bloemfontein, the "judicial capital" of South Africa.
History
On the creation of the Union of South Africa f ...
References
External links
''City of Tshwane'' Metropolitan Municipality official website
*
{{Authority control
1855 in South Africa
Capitals in Africa
Cities in South Africa
Geographical naming disputes
Populated places established in 1855
Populated places founded by Afrikaners
Populated places in the City of Tshwane