The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality was established on 5 December 2000 following the integration of a number of local authorities that had previously served the Greater Pretoria region. Tshwane is the second largest municipality in Gauteng and is among the six largest metropolitan municipalities in South Africa.

Tshwane has played a key role in the political history of South Africa. The nation’s liberation struggle culminated in the birth of South Africa’s democracy at Tshwane’s famous Union Buildings. On 10 May 1994, the people’s president, Nelson Mandela, was inaugurated in Tshwane as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

Sustainable energy production is a key component of urban development practices in Tshwane. Programs such as Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED) and the Tshwane Comprehensive Sustainable Human Settlements Strategy (TCSHSS) have contributed to significant progress in Tshwane’s sustainable urban development.