The Sporcle Blog

  • Play Quizzes
    • Quizzes
    • Create a Quiz
    • Quiz Lab
    • Groups
  • Sporcle Live
    • Bar Trivia
    • Find a Location
    • Trivia For Your Bar
    • Theme Nights
  • Articles
    • Geography
    • Holidays
    • Language and Grammar
    • Meanings and Definitions
    • Trivia Team Names
  • Badge News
  • Community
  • How To
  • News

3 Capital Cities? | What is the Capital of South Africa?

Updated: April 6, 2018 By Sporcle

What is the Capital of South Africa?
What is the Capital of South Africa? It turns out, the answer is not as easy as one might think.

South Africa is amongst a minority of countries that does not have a single capital city. Instead, South Africa boasts three capital cities, one for each branch of government. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. Cape Town is the legislative capital. And Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

When the Union of South Africa was created, different parties had different views on the appropriate city for the capital. Some expressed concern that allowing a single city to hold all branches of government could lead to too much power for one place. Thus, the developing nation placed the three branches of government in three different capital cities.

Facts about Pretoria

Pretoria, the administrative capital, houses the executive branch of government. It is also frequently considered the de facto national capital. Pretoria was the capital of Apartheid South Africa. The name Pretoria is somewhat controversial, however, and there is a push to change the name back to the city’s indigenous name, “Tshwane.” Pretoria is home to the world’s biggest soccer ball, the longest urban street in South Africa, and one of the oldest intact skulls of a distant ancestor of humans.

Facts about Cape Town

As the legislative capital, the parliament of South Africa is located in Cape Town. But Cape Town has other unusual features. Cape Town is home to the only tobogganing track on the African continent. It is called “Cool Runnings”, after the film of the same name. Cape Town also houses the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is a floral area which contains almost 7,000 plants found nowhere else on the planet.

Facts about Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein, referred to as the judicial capital, is the home of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa. It also doubles as the capital of its province, the Free State. Bloemfontein was the birthplace of author J. R. R. Tolkien and athlete Zola Budd. Bloemfontein also houses the largest fire service museum in South Africa.

What is the Capital of South Africa? It Could Change…

In 2016, President Jacob Zuma called on Parliament to consider consolidating the capitals, stating it was not practical to maintain capitals in both Cape Town and Pretoria, as these two capitals are located on opposite sides of the country. President Zuma has noted that maintaining two houses, two cars, and two households in order to properly execute the duties of government officials, is an “unnecessary cost.”

The idea of consolidating capitals was first proposed by the late former president Nelson Mandela, who commissioned a study in 1997. The study found that if the capital was consolidated in Pretoria, over 1,400 parliamentary staff and their families would have to be relocated.  

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille responded by proposing the country consolidate the capital in Cape Town. Zille noted the country could save money by housing government employees in apartments in government buildings.

So what is the capital of South Africa? For now, it remains a question with three answers. But that could change.

Think you know a lot about South Africa? How about trying to earn this nifty badge: Badge of Good Hope

Related Posts

  • A Handy List of The Capitals of AfricaA Handy List of The Capitals of Africa
  • Interesting Geography Facts – AfricaInteresting Geography Facts – Africa
  • How Many Countries Are There in Africa?How Many Countries Are There in Africa?
  • Transcontinental Countries – Is Egypt in Africa or Asia?Transcontinental Countries – Is Egypt in Africa or Asia?
  • What is the Closest US State to Africa?What is the Closest US State to Africa?
  • Disputed Territory – Is Western Sahara a Country?Disputed Territory – Is Western Sahara a Country?
Share Some Sporcle:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
14Share on Google+
Google+
0Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Share on Reddit
Reddit
71Share on StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon
82

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Africa, Geography

Popular Today

  • The 18 Most Used Trivia Team Names
  • What is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
  • Which Continent – Is Russia Part of Europe or Asia?
  • What Is Pluto and Is Pluto a Planet?
  • The Sporcle Guide on How to Disable Your Ad Blocker

Follow Sporcle

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • YouTube

Popular This Week

  • The 18 Most Used Trivia Team Names
  • Why Isn’t There a Letter E Grade?
  • Which Continent – Is Russia Part of Europe or Asia?
  • What is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
  • What Are the Oldest Countries in Europe?
  • Why Do Passports Come In Different Colors?
  • Odd Conflicts in History – The War of the Stray Dog
  • 3 Capital Cities? | What is the Capital of South Africa?
  • Top Quizzes of 2017
  • Kill Time 24 of the Best Sites to Kill Time On the Internet
  • What Is the Real Meaning Behind ‘Ring Around the Rosie’?
  • What Is Pluto and Is Pluto a Planet?
  • La Paz vs. Sucre – What is the Capital of Bolivia?
  • The 25 Best Han Solo Quotes
  • What is the United Kingdom and Is England a Country?

All Time Most Popular

  • The Sporcle Guide on How to Disable Your Ad Blocker
  • The 18 Most Used Trivia Team Names
  • Which Continent – Is Russia Part of Europe or Asia?
  • How to Create a Quiz
  • Top Quizzes of 2017
  • What is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
  • TWO Billion and Counting
  • 24 of the Best Sites to Kill Time On the Internet
  • How to Make a Fantastic Map Quiz
  • Auld Lang Syne Meaning & Lyrics – The History Behind a New Year’s Tradition

Search

Recent Posts

  • Curator Knows Best: alvir28
  • Where is Aruba? Finding Aruba on a Map
  • What is the Schengen Area? A List of Schengen Countries
  • New Badges: 20/20 Vision, Captain Capital, and Call Your Mom
  • Why Do Radio Stations in the US Begin with K or W?
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Random Posts

  • Sporcle Goes to the Animals
  • The Gift Guide to End All Gift Guides
  • Monday Morning Links: January 9th, 2017
  • Cinco de Mayo – A Holiday Without Borders
  • 13 Facts About The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Sporcle Links of the Day: Mission to Mars Edition
  • American Music Awards
  • 24 of the Best Sites to Kill Time On the Internet
  • Farewell to Bishkek!
  • Dancing with the Stars on Sporcle

Copyright Sporcle, Inc. © 2018