Pretoria is named after its founder, Marthinus Pretorius, who
established the city in 1855. In May 1960, Pretoria became the
capital of the South African Republic, and - although the ruling
powers have changed over the years - it has enjoyed a position of
authority ever since. During the Apartheid era, Pretoria was
tarnished with the unpopular image of being the "capital of
Apartheid South Africa".
This greatly improved in 1994, when Nelson Mandela was
inaugurated in the city as the country's first non-apartheid
president. The city is still home to South Africa's government, in
the Union Buildings, and serves as one of the country's three
capital cities along with Bloemfontein and Cape Town.