Timeline of Pretoria

Ancient

• 200 000 ya artefacts found in a rock shelter on the Erasmus Castle property.

  19th century

• 1825
• * Mzilikazi arrives in the Transvaal region.
• * Mfecane, or the genocide of the people of the Transvaal by Mzilikazi lasts until 1840.
• 1837
• * Mzilikazi and the Matabele defeated by the Voortrekkers and forced to flee across the Limpopo river
• 1840
• *First permanent white settlers in the Pretoria area.
• 1848
• *David Botha builds a farmhouse that would later become the Pionier Museum.
• 1852
• *17 January: The Sand River Convention signed granting the Voortrekkers north of the Vaal river self-government as the South African Republic
• 1853
• *16 November: The establishment of the Volksraad of the South African Republic.
• * M.W. Pretorius buys the farms of Elandspoort and Koedoespoort and later in November of the same year the town of Pretoria is founded on the two adjoining farms.
• 1855
• *Pretoria founded by Voortrekkers to be the capital of the new Transvaal Republic.
• 1867
• *Cullinan diamond field discovered near Pretoria.
• 1873
• * University of South Africa founded.
• * De Volkstem Dutch/English-language newspaper begins publication.
• 1874
• *Burgers Park layout of Pretoria's first botanical gardens.
• 1877
• *British annexation of the Transvaal
• 1879 - St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls was established.
• 1880
• * 16 December: Outbreak of the First Boer War
• *December: The city is besieged by Transvaal Republican forces.
• 1881
• * March: The city is once again besieged by Transvaal Republican forces.
• *3 August: Pretoria Convention peace treaty signed ending the First Boer War. Transvaal independence reinstated with Pretoria as capital.
• 1884
• *Kruger House built.
• 1886
• *Melrose House built.
• 1892
• * Raadsaal rebuilt.
• * State Museum founded focusing mostly on Natural History.
• * Burgers Park laid out as the city's first botanical gardens.
• 1896
• *Staats Model School built.
• 1897
• * 6 April: Fort Schanskop built.
• * 8 June: Palace of Justice built.
• * 4 September: Fort Wonderboompoort built.
• 1898
• * 18 January: Fort Klapperkop built.
• * November: Fort Daspoortrand built.
• * Pretoria News founded.
• 1899
• * Zoo founded.
• 1900
• *5 June: British forces occupy the city.

  20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1901 - Pretoria Boys High School founded.
• 1902
• * 31 May: The Treaty of Vereeniging is signed in Melrose House marking the end of the Second Boer War and the establishment of the British Transvaal Colony.
• * Pretoria High School for Girls founded.
• * Premier diamond mine begins operating near Pretoria at Cullinan.
• 1903 - "Local self-government granted."
• 1905
• * Lady Selbourne suburb established.
• * Large Cullinan Diamond discovered near Pretoria.
• 1906 - Imported jacaranda trees planted.
• 1910
• * Pretoria becomes the administrative capital of the British colonial Union of South Africa.
• * Pretoria railway station rebuilt.
• 1913 - Union Buildings constructed in Arcadia.
• 1920 - Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool founded.
• 1920 - Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool founded.
• 1922 - Christian Brothers' College opens.
• 1923 - Stadium built in Arcadia.
• 1930 - University of Pretoria was established.
• 1931
• * Capitol Theatre opens.
• * 14 October: Pretoria receives official city status.
• 1935 - Pretoria City Hall built.
• 1939 - 1 July: Trolleybuses in Pretoria begin operating.
• 1940 - Atteridgeville suburb established.
• 1942 - Danville suburb established.
• 1946
• * June: Pretoria National Botanical Garden established in the east of the city.
• * Population: 167,649 city; 244,496 urban agglomeration.
• 1948
• * Groenkloof suburb established.
• * Catholic Vicariate of Pretoria established.
• 1949
• * Hercules becomes part of Pretoria.
• * Voortrekker Monument erected.
• * Hoërskool Wonderboom was founded.

  1950s-1990s

• 1951
• * 1951 - Pretoria North High School was founded
• * Population: 231,710 city; 285,379 urban agglomeration.
• * Vlakfontein township established.
• 1955
• * Centenary of Pretoria celebrations under the mayoralty of Hilgard Muller
• * The old German community hall is acquired by the National Theatre Organisation and converted into the Breytenbach Theatre.
• 1956
• * Women's march.
• * Historical Association of South Africa headquartered in Pretoria.
• 1958 - 17 November The first theatre production opens at the Breytenbach Theatre.
• 1959 - "Treason trial" of ANC leaders begins.
• 1960 - Laudium township and Africa Institute of South Africa established.
• 1961 - City becomes capital of the Republic of South Africa.
• 1962 - Eersterus area established.
• 1963 - 9 October: Rivonia Trial begins.
• 1963 - Hoërskool Menlopark was founded.
• 1963 - St Alban's College was founded.
• 1964 - 12 June: The Rivonia Trial ends with the Sentencing of Nelson Mandela at the Palace of Justice.
• 1966 - Fort Klapperkop is restored and turned into the Fort Klapperkop Military Museum.
• 1970 - Population: 543,950 city; 561,703 urban agglomeration.
• 1972
• *Daspoort Tunnel opens.
• *21 February: Trolleybuses in Pretoria cease operating.
• 1975 - Pionier Museum opens in the oldest extant structure in Pretoria, a farmhouse circa 1848.
• 1977 - 12 September: Death of Steve Biko.
• 1979 - Menlyn Park shopping mall in business.
• 1979 - Hoërskool Waterkloof was founded.
• 1981 - State Theatre opens.
• 1983 - 20 May: Church Street bombing was perpetrated by Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress. The bombing killed 19, including two perpetrators, and wounded 217,
• 1984 - Atteridgeville-Saulsville Residents Organisation formed.
• 1985
• *Large Golden Jubilee Diamond discovered near Pretoria
• *21 November The Mamelodi Massacre occurs after 8000 protesters march on the Mamelodi Town Council due to high rent. Thirteen people lost their lives.
• * Population: 443,059 city; 822,925 urban agglomeration.
• 1986 - Idasa institute founded.
• 1991
• * Institute for Security Studies established.
• * Population: 525,583 city; 1,080,187 metro.
• 1993 - Radio Pretoria and Tuks FM radio begin broadcasting.
• 1994
• * City becomes part of the newly established Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vaal province.
• * Inauguration of South African president Nelson Mandela.
• 1996
• * Population: 692,348 city.
• * Area of city: 229 square miles.
• * headquartered in Pretoria.
• 2000
• * 5 December: Pretoria becomes the seat of the newly established City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
• * Impak newspaper begins publication.
• * June: University of Pretoria's Mapungubwe Museum opens.

  21st century

• 2001
• * Website Tshwane.gov.za launched.
• 2002
• *30 July: Pretoria Accord signed in Pretoria. It was an agreement made between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an attempt to bring about an end to the Second Congo War.
• 2004
• * Tshwane University of Technology established by merging several former institutions.
• * 8 March:Freedom Park is inaugurated by Thabo Mbeki.
• * Woodlands Boulevard shopping centre in business.
• 2005
• *December: Shanty town unrest.
• 2008
• *August: Congress of South African Trade Unions demonstration.
• * Ditsong Museums of South Africa is created in order to manage several Museums in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
• 2011
• * Gautrain begins operating with stations at Hatfield, Pretoria Central and Centurion.
• * August: Economic protest.
• * Kgosientso David Ramokgopa becomes mayor of Tshwane.
• * Population: 2,921,488 in Tshwane.
• 2012
• *11 July: Construction begins on the A Re Yeng rapid bus transit system.
• 2013
• *31 January: Train collision injuring 300 people near the Kalafong station.
• 2014
• * Air pollution in Tshwane reaches annual mean of 51 PM2.5 and 63 PM10, more than recommended.
• * 1 December: A Re Yeng rapid bus transit system launches.
• 2016
• * 20–23 June:Riots broke out in Tshwane over the ANC's selection of Thoko Didiza as mayoral candidate for Tshwane.The Tshwane riots result in the deaths of at least five people after it turned xenophobic in nature.
• *19 August: Solly Msimanga of the Democratic Alliance is sworn in as the Executive Mayor after the 2016 Municipal Elections.
• 2017
• * 24 February: An Anti-Immigration Protest resulting in the arrest of 136 protesters.
• * 1 April: The grand opening of Time Square, Pretoria the second biggest casino complex in South Africa.
• 2019
• *11 February: Solly Msimanga resigns as mayor
• *12 February 2019: Stevens Mokgalapa is elected mayor.