No celebration as Pretoria turns 160 years
The metro will not be celebrating the 160 anniversary of Pretoria's existence because it was a mere historical fact.
Andrew Ngozo
Monday 16 November, marked the 160th anniversary of the founding of Pretoria, but the Tshwane metro says it will not celebrate the day, as it was “simply a historical fact”.
Mayoral spokesperson Blessing Manale said the metro acknowledged the date: “We took a conscious decision not to commemorate this historical fact because we believe it is exactly that: a historical fact.
“We believe the metro has begun a journey of redefining the capital city. One of our story lines in that regard is to diversify the story line of our heritage and [therefore] the commemoration of the founding of Pretoria will not advance such a new path.”
He said the metro had paid its dues to honouring and preserving the history of Pretoria by ensuring the statues of the founders remained protected in public prominence at the city hall gardens.
“The City will continue to commemorate, protect and preserve pre- and post-apartheid historical milestones, personalities and heritage installations with the sole aim of ensuring that future generations will learn from such,” said Manale.
In 1853, Marthinus Pretorius, a Voortrekker leader and the first president of the South African republic, purchased the Elandspoort and Koedoespoort farms.
On 16 November 1855, the two farms were declared a town, Pretoria, named after his father Andries Pretorius, a hero of the Voortrekkers for his victory over Zulus in the battle of Blood River.
Pretoria became the capital of the South Africa on 1 May 1860.
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