The capital of South Africa is to be called Tshwane in an attempt to draw a line under the country's colonial past.
Members of Pretoria city council, which is dominated by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), voted to switch to the name, originally given to the area by an African chief.
Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, the city's mayor, said: "We are confirming the demise of oppression and the advent of freedom. We are underlining the death of apartheid and the birth of democracy."
A government commission on geographic names is expected to approve the change in October.
After that, Pretoria will signify only the very centre of the city, home to two million people.
Founded in 1855, Pretoria was named after Andries Pretorius, a hero to white Afrikaners for his defiance of the British and victories over the Zulus. His record does not endear him to the ANC council, who pushed through the change despite furious protests from the opposition.
