Side Trips

A Side Trip to Tshwane (Formerly Pretoria)

With the best views of South Africa's administrative and diplomatic capital, the Union Buildings, Meintjieskop Ridge, Arcadia (tel. 012/325-2000), are a great place to orient yourself. Probably the best-known creation of prolific "British Imperial" architect Sir Herbert Baker, the buildings -- the administrative headquarters of the South African government and the office of the president since 1913 -- are generally considered his finest achievement. The office-block wings are said to represent the British and Afrikaner people, linked in reconciliation by the curved amphitheater. African natives were not represented, nor allowed to enter the buildings except to clean. In 1994 the buildings and gardens were the scene of huge emotional jubilation as everyone from Castro to Al Gore witnessed the inauguration of Mandela, South Africa's first black president, and African praise-singers in traditional garb exorcised the ghosts of the past. Visitors are allowed to walk along Government Avenue, the road that traverses the facade, but entrance is gained only by those on official business.

The rest of Tshwane's city center can be explored on foot. The city grew around diminutive Church Square, which is surrounded by an array of impressive buildings that were funded by the discovery of gold in 1886; it makes sense to start here. In the center is Anton van Wouw's statue of a dour Paul Kruger, facing north (no doubt away from the British). On the southwest corner is the Old Raadsaal, completed in 1891; directly opposite are the Palace of Justice, on the northwest corner, and the original South African Reserve Bank (like the Union Buildings, designed by Herbert Baker). East of this are a number of banks; Cuthberts Corner, dating back to 1904 when George Heys (of Melrose House) used to run his coaching operation from here; and the neoclassical Standard Bank, built in 1935.

After visiting the tourism office, located in the 1896 Netherlands Bank Building, pop in at neighboring Café Riche, 2 Church Sq. (tel. 012/328-3173), Tshwane's oldest cafe. West of the square, on Church Street, is Kruger House, Church Street West (tel. 012/326-9172; Mon-Sat 8:30am-4:30pm, Sun 9am-4:30pm). Built in 1884, the house is on every tour group's itinerary, but because most of the furnishings are simply of the period rather than the very things Paul and his wife lived with, the house does little to conjure up the spirit of the man (for this, a guided tour, available for R20/$2.80/£1.40, is well advised). A boy during the arduous Great Trek north, and present at the Battle of Blood River, this first president of the ZAR (Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek) was known as a pious, stern Calvinist. He was also oddly approachable and would hold court on his veranda, chatting to anyone passing by -- provided they were white, of course. There are personal pieces, including his pipes, spittoons, and the knife he used to amputate his thumb after a hunting accident; but the best exhibit is a photograph of the cantankerous old codger sitting next to the stone lions that still guard the entrance to the house. Opposite is the church in which he preached. Nearby, you'll find Heroes Acre, the burial place for a number of historical figures, none of them now recognized as such.

Moving east down Church Street, you'll come across Strijdom Square, once a fresh produce market, where the ugly bust of even uglier former prime minister J. G. Strijdom, a staunch supporter of white rule in the 1950s, came tumbling down on May 31, 2001, exactly 40 years after South Africa was declared a republic. (The square has come to have a more sinister connotation since 1993, when namesake Barend Strijdom opened fire here on random black targets. Despite showing no remorse, he was subsequently released under the TRC's political amnesty.)

Five blocks north of Church Square, along Paul Kruger Street, is Boom Street; turn right here for the zoo (with 3,500 animals, some of them extremely rare, it's touted as one of the best zoos in the world, where you can catch a cableway across its length, letting you view the animals from the air) or turn left to reach Marabastad, where Tshwane's Indian community trades. Two blocks west of the uninspiring Traansvaal Museum (Paul Kruger St.), on Schubart Street, is The African Window, entered from 149 Visagie St. (tel. 012/324-6082; daily 8am-4pm), Tshwane's modern cultural history museum, and an attempt to celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the South African community. Two blocks south of the Transvaal Museum, turning left onto Jacob Mare, you'll find Melrose House (tel. 012/322-2805; Tues-Sun 10am-5pm), a neobaroque mansion -- mixing English Victorian and Cape Dutch styles -- built in 1886 for George Heys, who made his fortune in stagecoach transportation. Melrose House has been carefully restored to ensure its authenticity, and the furnishings are little changed since the Heys family lived here.

Art lovers shouldn't miss The Pretoria Art Museum, Arcadia Park, corner of Wessels and Schoeman streets (tel. 012/344-1807; www.pretoriaartmuseum.co.za; Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; R5/70¢/30p adult), which owns over 3,000 artworks and showcases some of South Africa's rich and varied talent in bland spaces that allow the art to dominate. Besides the country's best collection of work by white South African artists (including an even better collection of Pierneefs than the Pierneef Museum on Vermeulen St.), there is a growing representation of black artists, including the celebrated Sekoto and Ephraim Ngatane. The prebooked guided tour is recommended.

The Great Toaster -- In 1938 the secretive Afrikaner Broederbond (brotherhood) organized a symbolic reenactment of the Great Trek and sent a team of ox wagons from Cape Town to Pretoria (now Tshwane) to celebrate its centenary. By the time the wagons reached Pretoria, more than 200,000 Afrikaners had joined, all of whom camped at Monument Hill, where the foundation stones for a monument were laid. Ten years later, the Voortrekker Monument was completed, and the Afrikaner Nationalist Party swept to power. This massive granite structure, sometimes compared irreverently to a large Art Deco toaster, dominates the skyline at the southern entrance to Tshwane. Commemorating the Great Trek, in particular the Battle of Blood River, fought on December 16, 1838, the monument remains hallowed ground for many Afrikaners. Every year on that date, exactly at noon, a ray of sunlight lights up a central plaque that reads WE FOR YOU SOUTH AFRICA. The "we" refers, of course, to Afrikaners -- in the marble frieze surrounding the lower hall depicting the Trek and Battle, you will find no carvings of the many black slaves who aided the Boers in their victory. The museum has memorabilia relating to the Great Trek; most interesting is the "female" version of the monument frieze -- huge tapestries depicting a romanticized version of the Great Trek's social events. Even more interesting than this sanitized take on the pioneer days are the photographs of the "tannies" (literally "aunties," an Afrikaans term of respect) who created these tapestries. They are the perfect foil to the Afrikaner men: ladies plaiting threads while the men wrest with stone in the monument. The Voortrekker Monument and Museum (tel. 012/326-6770; www.voortrekkermon.org.za; daily 8am-4:30pm; R30/$4.20/£2.10 adults, R8/$1.10/50p children, R15/$2.10/£1 vehicle) is situated 6km (3 3/4 miles) south of the city, and is best visited with a tour operator.

The World's Rarest Cats & Dogs

Internationally renowned for its success in breeding endangered species, the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre (www.dewildt.org.za) has established new cheetah populations in reserves like Samara and is a serious research center. A visit here offers an opportunity to get up close to these most graceful felines, as well as brown hyena and the African wild dog -- with between 3,000 and 5,000 left in the world, the latter is Africa's most endangered predator. You can also see blue duiker and suni antelope, best known for their diminutive size, as well as seldom-seen birds of prey. The 3-hour guided tours are by arrangement only and happen only 4 days a week; you need to book your place on a tour at least a week ahead by calling tel. 012/504-1921, -1922. De Wildt is 45 minutes north of Tshwane, in the Magaliesberg foothills.