CITIES AND VENUES

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa as well as one of the nation's three capitals, being the judicial capital. The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs" and became part of the Mangaung Local Municipality in 2000. Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses", owing to the abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival held there.

Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism.

Durban

Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and beaches. According to the 2007 Community Survey, the city has a population of almost 3.5 million. Durban's land area of 2,292 square kilometres (884.9 sq mi) is comparatively larger than other South African cities, resulting in a somewhat lower population density of 1,513 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,918.7/sq mi).

Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi or Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world and it is one of Africa's only two global cities. While Johannesburg does not form one of South Africa's three capital cities, it does house the Constitutional Court – South Africa's highest court. Johannesburg is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills. Johannesburg is served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa.

Nelspruit

Nelspruit

Nelspruit is a city of 221,474 people (2000) situated in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province (formerly Eastern Transvaal). Located on the Crocodile River, Nelspruit lies about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the Mozambique border and 330 kilometres (205 miles) east of Johannesburg. The nearest township is KaNyamazane, a few kilometres east of Nelspruit. Nelspruit was founded in 1905 by three brothers of the Nel family who grazed their cattle around the site of Nelspruit during the winter months. It is a key manufacturing and agricultural hub for northeastern South Africa. Major industries include the canning of citrus fruit, paper production, furniture manufacture and timbermills. Fertile soils and subtropical climate provide perfect conditions for the growing of citrus and tropical fruits, mainly mango, banana, avocado and Macadamia nuts. There are many orange farms in the area around Nelspruit.

Rustenburg

Rustenburg

Rustenburg is a city of 395,761 inhabitants (2001 National Census) situated in at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range in North West Province of South Africa. It is reported that Rustenburg is the fastest growing city in South Africa and is home to the 2 largest platinum mines in the world nd also the world’s largest platinum refinery, PMR (Precious Metal Refiners), which processes around 70% of the world’s platinum.

Pretoria

Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital. Pretoria is contained in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as one of several constituent former administrations (among which also Centurion and Soshanguve), and therefore sometimes incorrectly referred to as Tshwane — this contentious issue is still being decided as of 2009.

Polokwane

Polokwane

Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) is a city, municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province in South Africa. This area is seen as a place of "myths and legends". There are many game viewing opportunities, making Pietersburg a popular ecotourism destination in Southern Africa. Limpopo is divided into four tourism regions, each representing a microcosm of the area's varied and interesting cultures.

Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth or known as Nelson Mandela Bay is a city in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, 770km east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house British settlers as a way of strengthening the border region between the Cape Colony and the warlike Xhosa tribe. It now forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality which has a population of over 1 million. The city is in a friendship partnership with the Swedish City of Gothenburg and is a sister city to the American cities of Jacksonville, Florida and Palm Desert, California.