Pretoria - Alfie is a mischievous little boy who dashes along the passages and turns the taps on and off. An elderly man with a Paul Kruger-like beard paces the grounds, and the rich old owner’s icy presence in the home he lovingly built are but some of the ghostly characters which have put Pretoria on the map of South Africa’s most haunted places.
The issue of ghosts follows a bizarre drama which allegedly unfolded in front of City of Tshwane employees who are said to have seen men dressed in black cloaks and black hoods covering their heads at the Ou Raadsaal building last Friday.
The Ou Raadsaal is now used as offices for City of Tshwane staff who were displaced when council offices Munitoria burnt down a few years ago.
The city is said to be the home of several ghosts who freely roam famous landmarks of the capital.
Old hospitals-turned into offices turn chilly after the sun sets, a feeling which sends workers scuttling for their belongings as they rush home. Shrieks and groans along the museum on Boom Street have provided goosebumps.
And whether hocus pocus or real, the hair-raising tales of ghosts and spirits have fascinated humankind for many centuries, and whether they believe in them or not, many have a story or two to tell about their own experiences with departed spirits.
According to various websites which detail the haunted spaces of the country, many stories have come out of Pretoria, and they tell a tale of a city with plenty of happy and sad souls lingering instead of sailing off into the afterlife.
The ghost of Paul Kruger is said to be ever present at the seat of his old parliament, the Ou Raadsaal on Church Square.
Sightings have been reported and his presence allegedly felt, while some talk about catching a glimpse of him walking around on the grounds of Smuts House, refusing to leave so that he ensures the secret to the whereabouts of the so-called vast Boer treasure on the property is kept safe.
Sammy Marks was a businessman and had made his fortune in the Barberton gold rush. He built his home on what was known as Zwartkoppies Hall and has reportedly remained at the home, now a museum. Staff and visitors speak of his icy presence, also felt with the unexplained opening and closing of doors. A crying baby in what was the nursery is said to be the ghost of one his children, who died there in 1990.
The Victoria Hotel, opened in 1880, boasts a number of spooky guests and comes up high on the list of most haunted places in the country.
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Pretoria News