South Africa has three capital cities, including Pretoria as its administrative capital.
Pretoria is the administrative capital, where the executive branch and national government departments are based. Cape Town is the legislative capital and hosts the Parliament of South Africa. Bloemfontein is the judicial capital, associated with the country’s highest appellate court. This division developed from political compromises made when the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910.
South Africa’s constitutional system later changed the formal status and roles of its courts, but the three-capital arrangement remains a widely used description of the country’s governmental geography. The Constitutional Court is located in Johannesburg, which is not one of the three traditional capitals.
Pretoria was renamed Tshwane in some official and political contexts, but “Pretoria” remains the established name for the city and administrative seat. Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein should not be confused with Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city and major economic centre.