Removals to South Africa – Living in Pretoria

If you are looking to organise removals to South Africa to settle near family, or to take up a new job in the country, Greens is the company to count on as we have more than 40 years' experience in international removals, and have completed thousands of house moves from the UK to all parts of the globe. We are specialists in removals to South Africa and you can rest assured that your possessions are in the best possible hands for door-to-door overseas moves.

Whether you are moving to Pretoria, or one of the other major South African cities that are popular with expats such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban or Port Elizabeth, we make it easy for you as our removals are tailored to your requirements. If you require a full packing service, unpacking at your destination, short or long term storage, or removals insurance, we can organise this for you. We also help with any paperwork and customs requirements too – in short, we take a load off your hands!

If you are moving to Pretoria, the city is well known for its sports, museums, entertainment and nightlife. It is also at the heart of the diplomatic community, so it has a sizeable expat population. Read on to find out more about this city and what you can expect when you move.

Removals to South Africa – Click here to organise your house move, or click here for a UK to Pretoria removals quotation. .

Removals to South Africa – About Pretoria

Pretoria is one of three capital cities in South Africa – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative seat, and Bloemfontein, the judicial seat. The city is home to a sizeable number of expats as many international embassies are based here. As a result, if you are organising removals from the UK to South Africa to settle in the country with family, you will find some excellent international schools including Courtney House International, an independent English School, British International Preparatory School and British International College, for older children.

The city has a population of around 700,000, with nearly 3 million people living in the wider metropolitan area. Expats take up jobs in a host of sectors including banking and finance and the IT industry. And although most people's first language is Afrikaans, 16 per cent of the population speak English as their first language, so you will find it easy to get out and about.

If you are moving from the UK to Pretoria, the city is considered a safer place to live in than Johannesburg. Most UK expats, however, prefer to live in the eastern suburbs in gated communities, otherwise known as secure housing complexes. As an expat, you can also expect a high standard of living as many houses on these estates have their own pool, and also domestic quarters to accommodate home helpers. These complexes generally have their own gyms, parks, schools and shopping areas. Property is comparatively cheap to buy and rent compared to the UK, and you can expect to pay around £147,000 or less for a spacious four bedroom and three bathroom luxury family home on a 24 hour security estate.

Certainly, one of the draws to moving to South Africa is the lifestyle – it has some beautiful scenery and a great climate too. The city is affectionately called Jacaranda City as there are thousands of Jacaranda trees in Pretoria's parks and gardens. It is well known for its parks, and among the places to visit are the Wonderboom Nature Reserve, which has an ancient fig tree, and the Botanical Gardens. A city landmark is the Union Buildings which stands on the highest point in Pretoria. Built in 1913, it is the seat of the government and is the home of the President. Although it used to be open to tourists, now you can just view the buildings and gardens from outside the entrance.

One of the things to note is that Pretoria is likely to undergo a name change soon. Talks have been in process for a while to rename the city Tshwane, which is currently the name of the wider metropolitan area.

House Moves to South Africa: Out and About in Pretoria

If you like to shop, Pretoria has some excellent shopping centres. Among the most visited is Kolonnade Shopping Centre, which has 150 retail outlets, an ice rink, go-karting track and bowling alley. Another attractive place to visit is Centurion Mall, which has musical fountains, and a lake. For transport, most people drive everywhere, but you can also hire taxis, minibus taxis, or buy a prepaid card to board one of the Gautrain feeder buses. There are also public buses to get out and about but they are not very regular. Pretoria is a relatively safe place to live. However, you should be aware that it is not recommended to walk the streets of Pretoria at night.

Professional Removals UK to South Africa – Click here to organise your international removals, or click here for a UK to South Africa removals quote.