About Pretoria
Founded in 1855 and named after Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius, Pretoria is now the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa and was the seat of the country's first democratically elected government. It is one of the three capital cities in the country and is located in the north of South Africa, within the province of Gauteng which uses the motto "Unity in Diversity" in reference to its cosmopolitanism.
Pretoria is widely recognized for its thousands of purple jacaranda trees which bloom on the streets, giving its nickname of Jacaranda City (Afrikaans: Jakarandastad). As well as its scenery, the city also contains works of architecture such as the Voortrekker Monument, Fort Wonderboom and the Union Buildings where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president of South Africa in 1994.
The Sister City Affiliation
The Mayor of Pretoria, Jan van Zyl, visited Palestine 16 years ago to sign the Sister City Affiliation along with the Mayor of Bethlehem, Hanna Nasser. This occasion was a reflection of the traditional South African-Palestinian friendship and contributed to the establishment of mechanisms for exchanging acquired knowledge and experience in all common-interest sectors. Both cities exist with the common goals of improving the individual and social welfare of their respective inhabitants, making it timely to establish an effective policy of cooperation.
Since the Sister City Agreement, Pretoria is now part of three other councils which form the new Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Relations remain reciprocal as both Pretoria and Bethlehem strive to further their social progress.