Pretoria is the African capital that serves as one of South Africa’s three capitals and hosts the executive branch.
South Africa’s unusual capital arrangement divides national functions among three cities. Pretoria is the administrative or executive capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. The Union Buildings in Pretoria house the offices of the president and form the symbolic headquarters of national government.
Pretoria was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, who named it after his father, the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius. It became the capital of the South African Republic in 1860 and later the administrative capital of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Johannesburg is the country’s largest city and economic center, but it is not one of the three national capitals. The name Tshwane refers to the metropolitan municipality that includes Pretoria, which sometimes causes confusion in quiz questions.