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71-694: 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

142-424: A megalopolis by 2015. The Centurion Aerospace Village (CAV) was formally established in 2006 to create an aerospace supplier park where anchor firms are at the centre of the aerospace cluster and are supported by small and medium-sized producers. The supplier park is modelled on the local automotive industry and mirrors similar international parks, such as Silicon Valley, California, and Toulouse, France. The CAV

213-528: 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

284-867: 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

355-463: 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

426-455: 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

497-507: A serious hailstorm has not happened for many years. Summer temperatures range from the mid-20s to the mid-30s (°Celsius). Centurion's weather tends to follow the slightly warmer Pretoria , when compared to that of Johannesburg . The Hennops River flows through the heart of Centurion, and causes occasional flooding when heavy rainfall has occurred. AFB Waterkloof and AFB Swartkop are in Centurion. Other military support services, like

568-481: 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

639-530: 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),

710-729: 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 ,

781-762: Is in Pierre van Ryneveld Park, Tshwane, on state-owned land, adjacent to Aerosud Holdings, and along the eastern boundary of the Waterkloof Air Force Base. Aerosud was selected by the South African Department of Trade and Industry to be the industry driver and catalyst for this development. The CAV development was made possible with the financial support of the European Union and the South African government, through

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852-520: Is in the area. Following the end of apartheid, the Indian township of Laudium and surrounding suburbs including Erasmia and Claudius , which were formerly a part of Pretoria, were made part of Centurion. A black township, called Olievenhoutbosch , was established in Centurion at around the same time. In 2000, the Centurion local government became part of the newly created City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality , which also includes Pretoria , and

923-443: 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

994-588: 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

1065-449: Is well preserved and contains 576 of the original slate tombstones that were carved by hand in the camp. The town of Irene was established in 1902 when 337 plots were laid out on the farm Doornkloof. Jan Smuts later owned this farm, and died there in 1950. The original Smuts House is a museum today. Centurion developed from the initial Lyttelton Township that was marked out on the farm Droogegrond in 1904. Lyttelton Manor Extension 1

1136-670: 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

1207-743: The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality since 2000. Its heart is at the intersection of the N1 and N14 freeways. The R21 freeway also passes through the eastern part of Centurion. The Waterkloof Air Force Base , as well as the Swartkop Air Force Base (which includes the South African Air Force Museum ), are in Centurion. Fossils discovered at the Sterkfontein Caves show that hominids lived in

1278-975: 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

1349-587: 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

1420-805: 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

1491-884: 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

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1562-575: The Second Boer War the Irene Concentration Camp was established in 1901 on the farm Doornkloof, as part of the British scorched earth policy, where Boer women and children were housed under extremely poor conditions. At its peak the camp had 5,500 inhabitants, mostly women and children. Between February 1901 and the end of the war in 1902, 1,249 lost their lives here, about 1,000 of them children. The Irene Camp Cemetery

1633-547: 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

1704-779: 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

1775-657: The African continent (including a helipad) and is part of the Netcare group. Technology companies like Aerosud , Accenture , Denel Dynamics , Siemens , SAAB Grintek Technologies , Telkom and others such as GMC Aircon are in Centurion. The Gautrain has a station in Centurion. Established in 1983 as Verwoerdburgstad ("Verwoerdburg City"), the Centurion Mall was constructed around the Centurion Lake (on

1846-1118: The Army Engineer Formation. It also houses the Technical Service Training Centre, and units from the SAMHS and the SAAF . The base's TEK appellation may be derived from "Tegnies Basis Werkswinkel". It has a housing complex for active members. In addition, separately, the reserve force 3 Parachute Battalion is also headquartered in the town. Cricket is the most popular sport in Centurion. It has hosted many cricket tournaments like 2003 Cricket World Cup , 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup , 2007 ICC World Twenty20 , 2009 IPL and 2009 ICC Champions Trophy . Boxing Day Test are played at starting from 2013/14 season. The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) previously had its head office in Lake Buena Vista Building in Centurion. Centurion has one of

1917-599: 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

1988-611: 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,

2059-462: The Erasmus family arrived and settled in the area. Daniel Jacobus Erasmus settled on the farm Zwartkop , Daniel Elardus Erasmus on the farm Doornkloof and Rasmus Elardus Erasmus developed the farm Brakfontein. Several of the suburbs like Erasmia , Elardus Park , Zwartkop and Doornkloof were named after these 19th-century owners of the land and their properties. In 1849 Rev Andrew Murray visited

2130-548: The Hennops River) and was the only shopping centre with the standard big-name retailers of that time in Centurion until the 21st century. In 2003, the mall underwent its first major revamp which was estimated at around 250 million ZAR. 29,760 m of retail space was added to the mall bringing the mall's total size to 105,000 m , making it the second largest shopping centre in the Tshwane metropolitan area. The mall

2201-583: 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] ),

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2272-534: 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

2343-492: 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

2414-708: 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

2485-401: The Sector-Wide Support Enterprise, Employment and Equity Programme (SWEEEP). Today Centurion features modern shopping malls (Centurion Mall, Mall@Reds, Forest Hill City Mall), several entertainment spots, a theatre, golf courses and a driving range. Several hotels including Irene Country Lodge as well as a plethora of smaller guest houses. The Unitas hospital is the largest private hospital on

2556-448: 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

2627-529: 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

2698-414: 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

2769-399: 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

2840-418: 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

2911-444: 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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2982-440: 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

3053-399: 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

3124-538: 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

3195-409: 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

3266-481: 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

3337-445: 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

3408-487: The farm Doornkloof and christened 129 babies, heard the profession of faith of 29 new members of the Reformed Church and the next day, 29 December 1849, celebrated communion . In 1889 Alois Hugo Nelmapius bought the northern and north-eastern portions of the farm Doornkloof and named it after his daughter Irene (who died in 1961). As part of the First Boer War , the battle for Rooihuiskraal (Afrikaans for "Red House Kraal ") took place in 1881 here. A Boer commando under

3479-485: The former Military Medical Institute (now the Institute for Aviation Medicine), and the former Base Workshops and Vehicle Reserve Park (4VRP) were based in Centurion. It appears that 101 Air Supply Unit SAOSC is in Lyttelton, Gauteng . There is also a South African Army installation in the area. Technical Base Complex Centurion is home to the 2 Parachute Battalion (a reserve force unit), 44 Parachute Engineers, 1 Military Printing Regiment, 4 Survey and Map Regiment, and

3550-418: 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

3621-502: 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

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3692-440: 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

3763-446: The leadership of D.J. Erasmus Jr defeated Colonel Gildea, or "The Blasted Colonel" as they called him, the British Officer Commanding of the Pretoria Garrison. After the cornered British garrison tried to escape to Natal to join General George Pomeroy Colley , the Boers entrenched themselves behind a stone wall surrounding the animal stockade, and wounded the colonel in the backside, who was standing upright in his stirrups. During

3834-424: 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

3905-582: 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

3976-450: The most secure golf estate in South Africa. The Centurion Golf Estate is about 2 km from Supersport Park . There are many other secure estates close by such as the Irene Estate and the Southdowns Estate. Places such as Irene Farms and Supersport Park are the main tourism attractions. Centurion has come a long way from being a large town south of Pretoria, with smallholdings and large open spaces. Having experienced growth since 1994, like

4047-491: 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

4118-468: 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

4189-504: 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

4260-400: The rest of urban South Africa, many businesses have relocated there, and property development is boosting the ever-expanding city limits. This development has meant there is now little break between the outskirts of Pretoria to the north, and Midrand and Johannesburg to the south. The Gauteng Provincial Government predicted that, according to growth trends, much of the Gauteng province would be

4331-417: The same name and Lyttelton became known as one of the suburbs of Verwoerdburg. Others included Clubview , Eldoraigne , Kloofsig , Wierdapark , Zwartkop and their extensions. The name Centurion was chosen by residents in 1995 (without the option to retain the existing name), soon after the end of apartheid , to match the name of the Centurion Park (now called SuperSport Park ) cricket stadium which

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4402-435: The station's content further afield, while the station is also available on Sentech 's digital satellite platform. Centurion, Gauteng Centurion (previously known as Verwoerdburg and before that Lyttelton ) is an area with 236,580 inhabitants (2011 census) in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, between Pretoria and Midrand . Formerly an independent municipality, with its own town council, it has been part of

4473-454: 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

4544-420: The town ceased to have its own Town Council. Centurion is on the Highveld like Johannesburg and Pretoria and has a similar climate, with dry, sunny winters (max. daytime temperature around 20 °C dropping to an average minimum of 5 °C), and warm to hot summers (October – April) tempered by late-afternoon showers often accompanied by spectacular thunder and lightning. Hailstorms are not uncommon, but

4615-474: The vicinity of Centurion between 2 and 3 million years ago. The Sterkfontein Caves, a World Heritage Site , is less than 50 km from Centurion, near Mogale City and Krugersdorp . However, the earliest evidence of modern human habitation in the Centurion area does not go this far back. It dates back to 1200 AD when black African communities settled in this area. They cultivated lands, grazed their cattle, made earthenware containers and melted iron. In 1841

4686-462: 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

4757-414: 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;

4828-450: Was established in 1942. These two townships initially resorted under the Peri Urban Board in Pretoria. Centurion was granted City Council status in 1962 as Lyttelton. It was formed by combining the areas of Doornkloof, Irene and Lyttelton . Lyttelton was renamed Verwoerdburg in 1967, after Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd , the former prime minister of South Africa who was assassinated the previous year. The surrounding areas, as they grew, came under

4899-415: 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

4970-445: 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

5041-542: 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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