Centurion

Centurion is a city of 237,000 people (2011) in the Tshwane district of South Africa between Pretoria to the north, and Midrand and Johannesburg to the south. It is home to the Waterkloof Air Force Base, and the Swartkop Air Force Base (which includes the South African Air Force Museum).

Understand

Formerly Lyttelton and Verwoerdburg, the city was renamed following the end of Apartheid after the Centurion Park cricket stadium, now known as SuperSport Park.

Irene, a village that is part of Centurion, is covered in a separate article. It is home to the Smuts House Museum and the Irene Dairy Farm.

Climate

Centurion sits on the Highveld like Johannesburg and Pretoria and has a similar climate, with dry, sunny winters (max. daytime temperature around 20 °C dropping to an average minimum of 5 °C), and warm to hot summers (October - April) tempered by late-afternoon showers often accompanied by spectacular thunder and lightning. Hailstorms are not uncommon, but a serious hailstorm has not happened for many years. Summer temperatures range from the mid-20s to the mid-30s (°Celsius). Centurion's weather tends to follow the slightly warmer Pretoria, when compared to that of Johannesburg.

The Hennops River flows through the heart of Centurion, and causes occasional flooding when heavy rainfall has occurred.

Get in

By road

Centurion is between Pretoria and Johannesburg. If you are coming by plane, you can take a ride from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg using the R21 motorway. From Pretoria, use the R101 motorway to reach Centurion.

By train

Centurion has a station on the high-speed Gautrain, running between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It's possible to arrive from OR Tambo by train, via a change at Marlboro station.

• 1 Centurion railway station. (updated Dec 2020)

See

• 1 Centurion Art Gallery (Cnr Cantonments Rd and Unie Ave), ☏ +27 12 358-3477. (updated Dec 2020)
• Cricket: 2 Super Sport Park (Centurion Park), 283 West Ave, Die Hoewes, ☏ +27 12 663 1005. With a capacity of 22,000, this occasionally hosts Test matches and is home to the Titans (representing Easterns and Northerns Cricket Unions) and to Pretoria Capitals. (updated Oct 2023)
• AFB Swartkop. (updated Jul 2020)
• AFB Waterkloof. (updated Jul 2020)

Buy

• 1 Centurion Mall, Heuwel Ave (From the N1 take exit 128 (M19 John Voster), turn right into Lenchen Ave), ☏ +27 12 663-170. Large shopping mall on Centurion Lake. (updated Dec 2020)

Sleep

• Protea Hotel Waterfront, Gordon Hood rd (At Centurion Lake), ☏ +27 21 430-5300, info@proteahotels.com.