Pretoria South Africa

Description: Pretoria, known as Tshwane, South Africa’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 mountains.

Population: 2,955,212

Demographics: Black Africans accounted for 42% of the population, followed by Coloured at 2.5%, Indian or Asian at 1.9% and Other at 1.2%. This is a significant change from 2001 data, which had Whites listed as 67.7% of the population and Black Africans accounting for just 24.5%.

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 (“Monkeys river”) to be the new capital of the South African Republic (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 (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. During the First Boer War, the city was besieged by Republican forces in December 1880 and March 1881. The peace treaty that ended the war was signed in Pretoria on 3 August 1881 at the Pretoria Convention. The Second Boer War resulted in the end of the Transvaal Republic and start of British hegemony 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 on 31 May 1902 at Melrose House. 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. 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 serving as the legislative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital. Between 1910 and 1994, the city was also the capital of the province of Transvaal. On 14 October 1931, Pretoria achieved official city status. When South Africa became a republic in 1961, Pretoria remained its administrative capital.

Elevation: 1339 m

Climate: Humid subtropical climate. Average annual temperature in Pretoria is 23 C (64 F), the average for July is 12 C (54 F), the average for January is 24 C (74 F).

Attractions: Horseback Africa, Statue Of Nelson Mandela, Voortrekker Monument, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Union Buildings, Sammy Marks House

Airports: O.R. Tambo International Airport JNB

Distance To City Centre: 55 km

Commute Length: 45 min

Average Cost: 75 USD

Traffic Hours: 6:30 am – 9:30 am, 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm