Venue - Pretoria
Monday, July 17, 2006
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Pretoria, often referred to as Jacaranda City for its numerous Jacaranda trees, is part of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. It is located approximately 50km north of Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province and is the administrative capital of South Africa with an average annual temperature of 17.5°C.
The Ndebele people were the first people to settle along the Tshwane River which was named after a Ndebele chief. Tshwane literally means “little ape” in Ndebele. This would later become the site for Pretoria. When the city was founded in 1885, it became the first capital of the Zuid - Afrikaanche Republiek (ZAR). The Rivonia Treason Trial (1956-1961) which led to the prosecution of Nelson Mandela among others, was held in Pretoria.
As South Africa's administrative capital, Pretoria is home to the most embassies outside of Washington D.C. The State Theatre is also located here and hosts a variety of shows from ballet to children's theatre. Pretoria has an abundance of museums including the Museum of Culture which has artefacts from South Africa's two million year history. Another museum, Melrose House, is synonymous with the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the Anglo-Boer War (1899 - 1902).
Two Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams play in Pretoria. Supersport United were runners up in two PSL seasons and have won numerous charity competitions. In 2001/2002, Mamelodi Sundowns, were finalists in the CAF Champions League and have been champions of the PSL for three seasons.
Stadium
Loftus Versfeld is a 50,000 seater stadium in the heart of Pretoria. Very little upgrade is needed for the stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The site on which Loftus Versfeld is now was first used for sport in 1903. It was named after Mr Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, who is attributed with establishing organised sport in Pretoria. It has been used for numerous sports events including the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It is now used by Mamelodi Sundowns as their home ground.
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posted @ 2:20 AM,
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