Mandela statue
Arms outstretched.
Paul Saad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Derek Wolmarans — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hein waschefort — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hein waschefort — CC BY-SA 3.0
The seat of South Africa's government and the president's offices, a vast sandstone building on Pretoria's highest hill, designed by the architect Herbert Baker and completed in 1913, with two matching wings joined by a semicircular amphitheatre. Here Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the country's first democratically elected president in 1994, and presidential inaugurations are still held here, making it a symbol of South Africa's new democracy. The buildings themselves are closed to visitors, but the wide terraced gardens in front are open, with a huge nine-metre bronze statue of Mandela, arms outstretched, unveiled in 2013 days after his death, and broad views over the city. Entry to the gardens is free. The loveliest time to visit is September to November, when the purple jacaranda trees Pretoria is famous for bloom across the city's streets.
Arms outstretched.
City views.
September-November.
Meintjieskop hill, Arcadia, Pretoria
No, they are the seat of government and closed to visitors, but the gardens and Mandela statue are open free.