Centurion – Thriving Residential and Business Center
Located at the intersection of two major highways, between Midrand and Pretoria, and with the lovely Hennops River flowing through it, Centurion forms part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. This thriving residential and business center incorporates the Waterkloof Air Force Base and the Swartkop Air Force Base, as well as the SuperSport Park cricket grounds, home to the Titans cricket team.
Evidence found near Centurion suggests that the area was inhabited by black African communities as far back as the thirteenth century. In 1841 a settler family by the name of Erasmus set down roots in the area and many of the suburbs of Centurion have been named after members of this family. Centurion also played a prominent role in the first and second Anglo-Boer wars. Previously known as Verwoerdburg, Centurion was renamed in 1995, doing away with a name that was closely linked to the policy of apartheid in South Africa that had been brought to an end.
Visitors to Centurion will have no shortage of top quality accommodation to choose from and shopping malls to visit. The South African Air Force Museum, located at the Swartkop Air Force Base, offers fascinating insight into the history of the South African Defense Force, while the Smuts House museum located on a farm owned by the late former Prime Minister of South Africa, Jan Christiaan Smuts, offers broader insight into the history of the country. The Smuts farm is the venue for one of the best attended strictly locally made arts and crafts markets in Gauteng as well as other noteworthy events.