I grew up just outside Pretoria and have been living and studying here after most of my family joined the Great Migration to the Western Cape and I always love talking to Pretorians about Pretoria. Outside of Gauteng, people have few good things to say about Pretoria and in Gauteng it is outshone by Johannesburg, but honestly? I think people miss a lot of the charm.
I have found that people grow rather fond of Pretoria when they end up here, and I suspect it is for different reasons. For me, it has always been the humility of the city. The executive capital of South Africa (I lived spitting distance from Cupcake) but humble as a small town. We don’t try to be flashy, which I suspect is a great let down for our cousins from Jozi and CT who are always competing for “best South African city.” I also often hear that “there’s nothing to do” here to which I say: perhaps it is time to spend some time with your thoughts. Sit down, have a reasonably priced beer and stop looking for something to be busy about.
I don’t know, Pretoria is a cozy, purple gem to me. What do you love most about Pretoria?