Administrative Capital of South Africa: Pretoria - September 29, 2025. Following a sumptuous breakfast, we were off to explore Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, with our guide, Cpho (pronounced See-Po). The city is named for Andries Pretorius, a Voortrekker leader and hero of the 1838 Battle of Blood River. His son, Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, founded the city in 1855 and chose to honor his father by giving it his name. Indigenous South Africans would like to rename it Tshwane, but I guess it’s not going anywhere! Pretoria is a beautiful city, with a number of fancy neighborhoods. Mostly these are in gated communities and homes have concertina wire and electrified wired wires topping high walls. Then there are poor, mixed-race neighborhoods. In addition, there are two townships where Blacks live. Because it’s the capital, there’s a lot more police out and about; unfortunately, however, there’s been an exodus of businesses from the core downtown area and we see decrepitude, grime, and crime. We stopped at Paul Kruger’s home; he was an Afrikaner and president of the South African Republic. The home has been converted to a museum. The area around the Union Buildings is gorgeous. They serve as the official seat of the South African government and house the offices of The Presidency. Unfortunately, the public is not allowed entry into the Union Buildings, unlike the US Capitol Building, and includes a World War 1 memorial, beautifully manicured gardens, and a huge statue of Nelson Mandela. The last stop of our day was the Voortrekker Monument, a granite structure on a hilltop. It was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854, and commemorates Battle of Blood River 16 December 1838. It was designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk. The people I saw at the Voortrekker Monument were in awe and very proud of the same; some viewed it as a pilgrimage. The monument is impressive — I climbed the 371 steps to the top of the memorial. The monument includes historical frieze, illustrating key historical scenes and the Piet Retief Delegation massacre. In the center of the floor is a large circular opening through which the Cenotaph can be viewed. On the stone cenotaph are the words 'Ons vir Jou, Suid-Afrika' (I asked an Afrikaner man what the words meant and I was told it stands for: We for Thee, South Africa). He also pointed to the small opening in the ceiling of the dome above and told me that on 16 December, the day of the Blood River Battle of 1838, a ray of light strikes the Cenotaph symbolizing God's blessing on the lives and endeavors of the Voortrekkers! While I found the monument to be worth the visit, I found the narrative to be one-sided — like they say, “those who win wars shape the narrative.”

Cpho picked us up from... - Cpho picked us up from our hotel on time (actually a bit early) with a big welcoming smile. He was very engaging right from the start and entertained us with his knowledge of not only the sites we visited, but also local history, culture and customs, and languages. It was a fantastic introduction on our first day ever in South Africa and we were very happy we did this tour. Thanks for a great tour!

Informative with... - Informative with historical context. Drive around Pretoria, historical site and colonial architecture.

Half Day Tour with Carson from Mu Africa tours - Took a half day tour of Pretoria with Carson. Wonderful, personable guide gave a packed tour. Highly recommend! We visited a monument celebrating Dutch rule, the former house of a former Dutch ruler and the Union building where the President resides.

Excellent experience - Excellent tour with great guide! Comfortable van, great sites, small group. Gave a lot of insight in the history of the country.

Half Day Pretoria Tour - Enjoyed the tour a lot. Our guide Tshepo was very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended tour - Value for money.

Interesting - The person running the tour contacted us the day before (via WhatsApp) to confirm our hotel and pick up time. The driver / guide arrived on time and was friendly from start to finish. He started the tour as soon as we entered the vehicle and was extremely knowledgeable/ informative the entire time we were with him.

A trip worth taking - a day of historical stories and interesting places. - Our guide, Lebo, was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the sites we visited Overall is was an informative and interesting experience.

Half day soweto tour amazing experience - Thomas is an extremely knowledgeable man he gave an excellent tour of Soweto and the historical significance I highly recommend!

Disappointing - We booked a half-day tour of Pretoria in June, but unfortunately our guide did not show up at the agreed time. Francois apologised by phone and quickly arranged a tour of the Voortrekker Monument, but we were unable to visit the other six planned sights because Francois advised us not to do so on our own, saying it was too dangerous.