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58-679: A few months after the occupation of Pretoria by the British forces on 5 June 1900, a first public meeting was held in the Rex Bar at Kerkplein in Pretoria to recruit National Scouts from the ranks of the citizens. In most cases, they were initially employed as "cattle guards" (Afrikaans: beeswagters ) to collect and protect the livestock of farms against seizure by roaming Boer commandos . However, some took part in military action against them. The so-called hensoppers were men who had surrendered immediately to

116-521: A colourful march and the crowning of the Jacaranda Queen. Commuter rail services around Pretoria are operated by Metrorail . The routes, originating from the city centre, extend south to Germiston and Johannesburg , west to Atteridgeville , northwest to Ga-Rankuwa , north to Soshanguve and east to Mamelodi . Via the Pretoria–Maputo railway it is possible to access the port of Maputo, in

174-822: 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

232-457: A programme 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

290-450: A republic in 1961, Pretoria remained its administrative capital. Pretoria is situated approximately 56 km (35 mi) north-northeast of Johannesburg in the northeast of South Africa , 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 1,339 m (4,393 ft) above sea level , in

348-475: A warm, sheltered, fertile valley, surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range. Pretoria has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cwa ) with long hot, rainy summers, and short, dry and 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

406-516: Is 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. It has a reputation as an academic city and centre of research, being home to the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT),

464-684: 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 , Church Square , Pretoria Showgrounds, Springbok Park , Freedom Park , Jan Cilliers Park and Burgers Park ,

522-443: 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. Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in

580-567: Is the original N1, and served the same function before the construction of the highway. It runs through the centre of the city on regular streets 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

638-657: 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 . (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

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696-922: The M3 to Church Square , WF Nkomo Street from Church Square to the R511 (south-east of Hartbeespoort) 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 Freeway becomes the N1 to Johannesburg, and the N14 continues as

754-530: The Nokeng tsa Taemane Local Municipality until 18 May 2011. Due to mismanagement of funds, this municipality was disbanded and incorporated into the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality . Various operators offer tours around Cullinan. Tourists can choose between tours around town, within the mining area and even underground mining tours. Various means of transportation is used to provide these tours,

812-569: The Northern Bypass , and heading to Rustenburg . 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 . These roads through

870-482: The Northern Cape Province of South Africa . Cullinan is situated in the Highveld region of South Africa. The town has an elevation of 1476 m (4842.52 ft) and is located at −25.6709 [latitude in decimal degrees], 28.5236 [longitude in decimal degrees]. The closest city is Pretoria being 40 km (25 mi) away, while Johannesburg is 100 km (62 mi) away. Cullinan formed part of

928-770: The OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park. The R80 highway (Mabopane Highway) is a highway in the north-west of the city. The highway begins in Soshanguve and it terminates just north of the city centre (in Roseville ) 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 . The R50 starts from

986-832: The Ou Raadsaal . There is also the Transvaal Museum (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 Museum in Jacob Maré Street, the Pretoria Art Museum and the African Window Cultural History Museum. Several National Departments also have Head Offices in

1044-529: The Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, most radio, television and paper media is the same as the rest of the metro area. 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

1102-780: 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

1160-577: 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. Pretoria

1218-590: The Earth: Despicable creatures of nature: God's watch that spared you until now: By Hellfire sometime should eradicate you After the Boer War, only 10 percent of the total of 1,750 Boers serving on the British side as National Scouts claimed their Queen's South Africa Medals . Ostracized by the Boer Bittereinders and their womenfolk, they had to found their own separate Afrikander church organisation,

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1276-570: The Kruiskerk (Church of the Cross) in Pretoria. Towards the end of 1902, General Louis Botha decided to destroy the list of National Scouts compiled by the Boers during the war, to so keep their descendants in ignorance about their actions during the war. Pretoria Pretoria ( / p r ɪ ˈ t ɔːr i ə , p r i -/ prih- TOR -ee-ə, pree- ; Afrikaans: [prəˈtʊəria] ),

1334-524: The N1 in the south-east of the city, and heads south-east towards Bapsfontein and Delmas . The R511 runs north–south from Sandton 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 in

1392-483: 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

1450-685: The Oliver Tambo building which is the Headquarters of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation . 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

1508-628: 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

1566-759: The city centre which is towered by several large skyscrapers, the tallest of which is the Poyntons Building (110 m or 360 ft tall), the ABSA Building (132 m or 433 ft tall) and the Reserve Bank of South Africa building (150 m or 490 ft tall). The area contains a large number of historical buildings, monuments, and museums that include the Pretoria City Hall , National Library of South Africa , Pretorius Square, Church Square (along with its many historical buildings and statues), and

1624-706: The city from the south as the Ben Schoeman Highway . 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 Polokwane and the north of the country. The N1 is a toll road north of Pretoria. The R101

1682-399: The city. Wonderboom Airport in the suburb of Annlin 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 . Since Pretoria forms part

1740-418: The city. It ranges from 19th century Dutch, German and British colonial architecture to modern , postmodern , neomodern , and art deco 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 post-war Voortrekker Monument , the diverse buildings dotting

1798-444: The clear skies, with night time low temperatures in recent years in the range of 2 to −5 °C (36 to 23 °F). The average annual temperature is 18.7 °C (65.7 °F). This is rather high, considering the city's relatively high altitude of about 1,339 metres (4,393 feet), 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

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1856-468: The closing down of the diamond mine (the main source of members) during the depression, 1932 to 1941. However the Second World War saw military forces stationed on the mine and an adjoining farm and this helped the lodge to get restarted. Then in 1945 the mine was reopened, restoring 'normality' to Cullinan, and since then the lodge's progress has been steady and sound. The lodge is still in use and looks

1914-593: 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. 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. The N1 is the major freeway that runs through Pretoria. It enters

1972-565: 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

2030-585: The east and Hartbeespoort in the west. The R566 takes origin in Pretoria's northern suburbs, connecting Pretoria to Brits. The R573 (also called Moloto Road ) 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 . For scheduled air services, Pretoria is served by Johannesburg's airports: OR Tambo International , 45 km (28 mi) south of central Pretoria; and Lanseria , 35 km (22 mi) south-west of

2088-409: The east. The Gautrain high-speed railway line runs from the eastern suburb of Hatfield to Pretoria Station and then southwards to Centurion , Midrand , Marlboro , Sandton , 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

2146-481: 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

2204-445: The enemy, sometimes even before the actual start of hostilities, or later after only a short time in the field. The joiners on the other hand were Boers who offered their services to the enemy by acting as National Scouts or guides to the British troops in the field. Prominent members of the National Scouts were former Boer generals Andries Cronjé (1849 – 1923), brother of general Piet Cronjé , who had surrendered at Paardeberg and

2262-418: 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 , 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 . There are around fifty species of jacaranda, but

2320-502: The intersecting west-south-westerly highway towards Krugersdorp . The R114 parallels the N14 from Centurion to Muldersdrift . The R21 provides a second north–south highway, further east. It starts from the Fountains Circle south of the city centre, heading south-east to Monument Park , where it becomes a highway. It crosses the N1 at the Flying Saucer Interchange and runs north–south towards Ekurhuleni (specifically Kempton Park and Boksburg ). Importantly, it links Pretoria with

2378-440: 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. 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 Mamelodi , Soshanguve and Atteridgeville black people make up close to all of

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2436-424: The main campuses of both the University of Pretoria and the University of South Africa , traditional Cape Dutch style Mahlamba Ndlopfu (the President's House), the Neo-Byzantine Old Synagogue , 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

2494-582: The month of November 2015 saw new records broken for high temperatures, with 43 °C (109 °F) recorded on 11 November after three weeks of temperatures between 35 °C (95 °F) and 43 °C (109 °F). Pretoria reached a new record high of 42.7 °C (108.9 °F) on 7 January 2016. 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 , Setswana , Xitsonga , Tshivenda , Afrikaans and English. The city of Pretoria has

2552-416: The most popular being on an open vehicle or on foot. There are a few museums in the area in and around Cullinan. A few of the most popular ones are: The mountainous terrain surrounding Cullinan offers multiple activities for more adventure-oriented people, like: There is also an annual mountain bike race called the Cullinan Diamond Rush. The church was designed by British architect Herbert Baker , who

2610-542: The need of all the people living in Cullinan. The hospital has since closed down. The Nedbank building was built around 1908. The building is still in use today by the bank. The Premier Diamond Masonic Lodge was consecrated in the Cullinan School Hall and met there until 1909 when the new lodge building was completed at a cost of £1200. A feature of the Lodge's history has been the number of times it has been forced into recess, whether because of war, as in 1914 to 1916, disturbances leading to martial law, 1921 to 1922, and

2668-491: 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. 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

2726-468: The one found most often in the warmer areas of Southern Africa 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

2784-504: The population. The largest white ethnic group are the Afrikaners and the largest black ethnic group are the Northern Sothos . 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. Pretoria

2842-481: The station's content further afield, while the station is also available on Sentech 's digital satellite platform. Cullinan, Gauteng Cullinan is a small town in the Gauteng province of South Africa . It is located 30 km (19 mi) east of the city of Pretoria along the diamond route and is heavily reliant on tourism and the mine that dominates the skyline. The town is named after diamond magnate Sir Thomas Cullinan . In 1898 Sir Thomas Cullinan

2900-454: The thousands of jacaranda trees planted along its streets and in its parks and gardens. 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 ( Dutch : Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek ; ZAR). The elder Pretorius had become

2958-462: 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 39 °C (102 °F), unusual for that time of

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3016-414: The year. Similar record-breaking extreme heat events also occurred in January 2013, when Pretoria experienced temperatures exceeding 37 °C (99 °F) on several days. The year 2014 was one of the wettest on record for the city. A total of 914 mm (36 in) fell up to the end of December, with 220 mm (9 in) recorded in this month alone. In 2015, Pretoria saw its worst drought since 1982;

3074-435: Was a dominant figure in South African architecture between 1892 and 1912. The church was built in 1904 as the parish church for the miners. The church is a simple square structure with a corrugated iron roof. The first recorded meeting was held on April 22, 1906. The hospital was built in 1907, and was officially opened by Annie Cullinan, wife of Sir Thomas Cullinan. It served only the European miners back then, but now serves

3132-415: Was formed by the amalgamation of several former local authorities, including Bronkhorstspruit , Centurion , Cullinan , Hammanskraal and Soshanguve . Some have proposed changing the official name from Pretoria to Tshwane , which has caused some public controversy. Pretoria is named after the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius , and South Africans sometimes call it the "Jacaranda City", because of

3190-453: Was handed a three carat diamond found along a farm fence. He studied the area and came to the conclusion that the diamond was washed down from a nearby hill. Sir Cullinan made an attempt to buy the land from the owner, Joachim Prinsloo , but did not succeed. After Prinsloo's death, he was able to purchase the land for £52,000 from Prinsloo's daughter. The Cullinan kimberlite was discovered in 1902 and in 1903 open pit mining commenced. The mine

3248-423: Was named the Premier mine. On 25 June 1905, the famed Cullinan Diamond , the largest in the world at 3,106 carats (621.2 g), was discovered by Frederick George Stanley Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company . It was bought by the Transvaal government and presented to King Edward VII . The town of Cullinan owes its existence to the diamond mining in this area, much like Kimberley in

3306-445: 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

3364-542: Was sent to Saint Helena , and Piet de Wet (1861 – 1929), brother of general Christiaan de Wet , who kept up a guerrilla war against the British. The hostility ran high among the Boer population against those joiners , which was summed up in a poem sent to the National Scouts' membership during the war:  (Afrikaans original:) Verraders! Monsters! Vloek der Aarde: Verneerde schepsels der natuur: Gods waken die u tot heden spaarde: Verdelg u eens door Helsche Vuur  (Translation:) Traitors! Monsters! Curse of

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