Union Buildings
Pretoria’s Union Buildings is where the ‘magic happens’: It’s the official seat of the national government and houses the offices of the South African president. It’s one of the most recognizable buildings in the city, and is an important South African Heritage Site surrounded by beautiful gardens overlooking the city of Tshwane.
The Union Buildings have been the backdrop for some of the country’s most pivotal moments. In 1956, a 20 000-strong march was led there by South African women of all races protesting against the apartheid pass laws.
For international visitors this iconic building is most memorable as the place where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated in 1994 as the first democratically elected leader of South Africa, a moment which was screened live on television to millions of viewers across the world. When a survey was done to nominate South Africa's best all-time architect a few years back, the name Herbert Baker did not even appear, and yet his work stands plinth and frieze above all other architecture before or since.
Baker was educated in the meticulous Arts and Crafts school, which brought a craftsman's eye to every element of every building he ever worked on. When he was commissioned to design the government buildings in Pretoria, Baker's idea was based on the Greek Acropolis - the buildings should be magnificent, and should stand above the capital city, drawing people to them.
The neo-classical Union Buildings certainly achieved this, although modern critics complain they represent a decadent imperial style.
Loftus Versveld
It is fitting that so many monuments should be found in South Africa's capital, but this one is rather special in a peculiar way that could only be found in, well, Tshwane. If you wanted to recreate one of the great battles of the past, you could put the Blue Bulls supporters from Tshwane against the Western Province supporters from Cape Town in one massive rugby game.
It would surely give the lie to that old soccer platitude that soccer is not just a matter of life and death, but more important. In Pretoria they have put their collective heart outside Loftus Versveld rugby stadium in the form of a life-sized silver 'statue to the unknown rugby player'.
Look closely and you'll see it's a fair likeness of one of the most revered players to lead his team to glory… one Ignatius Botha. This should perhaps not surprise you, because this is the only province where supporters of the local side, the Blue Bulls, are so fanatical, one famously killed himself when his team lost in a Currie Cup final some years back. We kid you not.