Cape Town - Wikipedia

Cape Town - Wikipedia
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Coordinates
33°55′31″S
18°25′26″E
 / 
33.92528°S 18.42389°E
 /
-33.92528; 18.42389
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Legislative capital of South Africa
This article is about the city itself. For the municipality, see
City of Cape Town
. For other uses, see
Cape Town (disambiguation)
Capital city in Western Cape, South Africa
Cape Town
Kaapstad
Afrikaans
eKapa
Xhosa
ǁHui!gaeb
Khoekhoe
Capital city
legislative branch
Aerial view of the
City Bowl
DHL Stadium
(left)
Camps Bay Beach
V&A Waterfront
Kirstenbosch Garden
Castle of Good Hope
House in
Bo-Kaap
Cape Town City Hall
Company's Garden
Devil's Peak
and
Table Mountain
from
Signal Hill
Coat of arms
Logo
Nicknames:
Mother City, Tavern of the Seas (archaic)
Motto:
Spes Bona
Latin
for "Good Hope")
Interactive map of Cape Town
Cape Town
Show map of Western Cape
Cape Town
Show map of South Africa
Cape Town
Show map of Africa
Coordinates:
33°55′31″S
18°25′26″E
 / 
33.92528°S 18.42389°E
 /
-33.92528; 18.42389
Country
South Africa
Province
Western Cape
Municipality
City of Cape Town
Founded
6 April 1652
; 374 years ago
1652-04-06
Municipal government
1839
; 187 years ago
1839
Government
• Type
Metropolitan municipality
Mayor
Geordin Hill-Lewis
DA
• Deputy Mayor
Eddie Andrews
DA
Area
Capital city
legislative branch
2,461 km
(950 sq mi)
Highest elevation
1,590.4 m (5,218 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
10
11
• Rank
13th
in Africa
2nd
in South Africa
Urban
(2011)
433,688
• Urban density
1,083/km
(2,800/sq mi)
Metro
(2022)
4,772,846
• Metro density
1,952/km
(5,060/sq mi)
Demonym
Capetonian
Racial makeup
(2022)
Black African
45.7%
Coloured
35.0%
Indian
Asian
1.6%
White
16.2%
Other
1.5%
First languages
(2011)
Afrikaans
35.7%
Xhosa
29.2%
27.8%
Other languages
7.3%
Time zone
UTC+2
SAST
Postal codes
(street)
7400–8099
PO box
7000
HDI
0.82
very high
GMP
(2020)
US$
121
billion
GMP per capita (2011)
US$19,656
Website
capetown.gov.za
Cape Town
is the
legislative
capital
of
South Africa
. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the
Parliament of South Africa
14
Cape Town is the country's
second-largest city
by population, after
Johannesburg
, and the largest city in the
Western Cape
15
The city is part of the
City of Cape Town
metropolitan municipality
The city is known for
its harbour
, its natural setting in the
Cape Floristic Region
, and for landmarks such as
Table Mountain
and
Cape Point
. Located on the shore of
Table Bay
, the
City Bowl
area of Cape Town, which contains its
central business district
(CBD), is
the oldest urban area in the Western Cape
, with a significant cultural heritage. The metropolitan area has a long coastline on the
Atlantic Ocean
, which includes a northern section in the West Beach region, as well as the
False Bay
area in the south.
The
Table Mountain National Park
is within the city boundaries and there are several other nature reserves and marine-protected areas within and adjacent to the city. These include
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
, which contains 5 of South Africa's 6
biomes
, and displays many plants native to the Cape region.
A popular global
tourist destination
, Cape Town has been named the best city in the world, and the world's best city for travelers numerous times, including by
The New York Times
in 2014,
16
Time Out
in 2025,
17
and
The Telegraph
for the past 8 years (2017 through 2025).
18
Cape Town has South Africa's highest household incomes,
19
lowest rate of unemployment,
20
highest level of infrastructure investment,
21
strongest service delivery performance,
22
largest tourism appeal,
18
and most robust real estate market.
23
History
edit
Main articles:
History of Cape Town
and
Timeline of Cape Town
External videos
"Khoisan group renames the cape"
— 2012 news report by
Eyewitness News
on the official Khoekhoe naming of Cape Town as "ǁHuiǃgaeb" and how it is pronounced
Early period
edit
Portuguese explorer
Bartolomeu Dias
planting the cross at
Cape Point
, 1488.
The earliest known remnants of human occupation in the region were found at Peers Cave in
Fish Hoek
in the late 1920s. Subject to much debate, earlier estimations as to an upper
Pleistocene
origin have since been revised. At their most generous and conservative estimates, D.D. Steyner et al.
radiocarbon date
SAM-AP 4692 to the mid-
Holocene
at 5448 and 5136 BCE (or 7457 and 7145 cal BP) respectively.
24
Bartolomeu Dias
, the first European to reach the area, arrived in 1488 and named it "Cape of Storms" (
Cabo das Tormentas
). It was later renamed by
John II of Portugal
as "
Cape of Good Hope
" (
Cabo da Boa Esperança
) because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to the
Indian subcontinent
and
East Indies
. In 1497, Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama
recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1510, at the
Battle of Salt River
, the Portuguese admiral
Francisco de Almeida
and sixty-four of his men were killed and his party was defeated
25
by the "Goringhaiqua" (in Dutch approximate spelling) using cattle that were specially trained to respond to whistles and shouts.
26
The Gorinaiqua were one of the
Khoikhoi
clans who inhabited the area. In the late 16th century French, Danish, Dutch, and English, but mainly Portuguese, ships regularly continued to stop over in Table Bay en route to the Indies. They traded tobacco, copper, and iron with the
Khoikhoi
clans of the region in exchange for fresh meat and other essential traveling provisions.
Dutch period
edit
Dutch period
Jan van Riebeeck
and Dutch colonists arriving in
Table Bay
in 1652.
A diorama of Cape Town as it would have appeared in 1800 at the end of Dutch rule by the VOC.
See also:
Dutch Cape Colony
In 1652,
Jan van Riebeeck
and other employees of the
United East India Company
Dutch
Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie
, VOC) were sent to the Cape Colony to establish a way-station for ships travelling to the
Dutch East Indies
, and the
Fort de Goede Hoop
(later replaced by the
Castle of Good Hope
).
The settlement grew slowly during this period, as it was hard to find adequate labour. This labour shortage prompted the local authorities to import enslaved people from
Indonesia
and
Madagascar
. Many of these people are ancestors of modern-day
Cape Coloured
and
Cape Malay
communities.
27
28
Under Van Riebeeck and his successors, as VOC commanders and later governors at the Cape, a wide range of agricultural plants were introduced to the Cape. Some of these, including grapes, cereals, ground nuts, potatoes, apples and citrus, had a large and lasting influence on the societies and economies of the region.
29
British period
edit
See also:
Cape Colony
Adderley Street
in 1897 was an important commercial hub in Cape Town at a time when the city was the most important centre of economic activity in the Southern Africa region.
With the
Dutch Republic
being transformed into
Revolutionary France
's vassal
Batavian Republic
, Great Britain moved to take control of Dutch colonies, including the colonial possessions of the VOC.
Britain
captured Cape Town in 1795
, but it was returned to the Dutch by treaty in 1803. British forces occupied the Cape again in 1806 following the
Battle of Blaauwberg
when the Batavian Republic allied with Britain's rival, France, during the
Napoleonic Wars
. Following the conclusion of the war Cape Town was permanently ceded to the United Kingdom in the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814
The city became the capital of the newly formed
Cape Colony
, whose territory expanded very substantially through the 1800s, partially as a result of
numerous wars
with the
amaXhosa
on the colony's eastern frontier. In 1833 slavery was
abolished in the colony
freeing over 5500 slaves in the city, almost a third of the city's population at the time.
30
The
Convict Crisis
of 1849, marked by substantial civil upheaval, bolstered the push for self-governance in the Cape.
31
32
With expansion came calls for greater independence from the UK, with the Cape attaining
its own parliament
(1854) and a
locally accountable
Prime Minister (1872). Suffrage was established according to the non-racial
Cape Qualified Franchise
33
34
During the 1850s and 1860s, additional plant species were introduced from Australia by the British authorities. Notably
rooikrans
was introduced to stabilise the sand of the
Cape Flats
to allow for a road connecting the peninsula with the rest of the African continent
35
and
eucalyptus
was used to drain marshes.
36
In 1859 the first railway line was built by the
Cape Government Railways
and a system of railways rapidly expanded in the 1870s. The discovery of diamonds in
Griqualand West
in 1867, and the
Witwatersrand Gold Rush
in 1886, prompted a flood of immigration into South Africa.
37
In 1895 the city's first public power station, the
Graaff Electric Lighting Works
, was opened.
Conflicts between the
Boer republics
in the interior and the British colonial government resulted in the
Second Boer War
of 1899–1902. Britain's victory in this war led to the formation of a united South Africa. From 1891 to 1901, the city's population more than doubled from 67,000 to 171,000.
38
As the 19th century came to an end, the economic and political dominance of Cape Town in the Southern Africa region during the 19th century started to give way to the dominance of Johannesburg and Pretoria in the 20th century.
39
South African period
edit
An aerial photograph of the newly completed
Cape Town foreshore
in 1945. Visible in this photograph as the large area of empty land between the City Centre and the newly constructed harbour out of reclaimed land from
Table Bay
40
In 1910 Britain established the
Union of South Africa
which unified the Cape Colony with the two defeated Boer Republics and the British
colony of Natal
. Cape Town became the legislative capital of the Union, and later of the
Republic of South Africa
By the time of the
1936 census
, Johannesburg had overtaken Cape Town as the largest city in the country.
In 1945 the expansion of the
Cape Town foreshore
was completed, adding an additional 194 ha (480 acres) to the
Cape Town CBD
, and by extension, the
City Bowl
region.
40
Apartheid era
edit
Prior to the mid-twentieth century Cape Town was one of the most racially integrated cities in South Africa.
41
42
In the
1948 national elections
the
National Party
won on a platform of
apartheid
(racial segregation) under the slogan of "
swart gevaar
" (Afrikaans for "black danger"). This led to the erosion and eventual abolition of the
Cape's multiracial franchise
In 1950 the apartheid government first introduced the
Group Areas Act
, which classified and segregated urban areas according to race. Formerly multi-racial suburbs of Cape Town were either purged of residents deemed unlawful by apartheid legislation, or demolished. The most infamous example of this in Cape Town was the suburb of
District Six
. After it was declared a whites-only area in 1965, all housing there was demolished and over 60,000 residents were forcibly removed.
43
Many of these residents were relocated to the
Cape Flats
The earliest of the Cape Flats forced removals saw the expulsion of Black South Africans to
Langa
, Cape Town's first and oldest township, in line with the 1923
Native Urban Areas Act
Under apartheid the Cape was considered a "
Coloured
labour preference area", to the exclusion of "
Bantus
", i.e. Black Africans. The implementation of this policy was widely opposed by trade unions, civil society and opposition parties. It is notable that this policy was not advocated for by any Coloured political group, and its implementation was a unilateral decision by the apartheid government.
44
During the student-led
Soweto Uprising
of June 1976, school students from
Langa
Gugulethu
and
Nyanga
in Cape Town reacted to the news of the protests against Bantu Education by organising gatherings and marches of their own. A number of school buildings were burnt down and the protest action was met with forceful resistance from the police.
45
46
Cape Town has been home to many leaders of the
anti-apartheid movement
. In
Table Bay
, 10 km (6 mi) from the city is
Robben Island
. This
penitentiary island
was the site of a maximum security prison where many famous apartheid-era political prisoners served long prison sentences. Famous prisoners include activist, lawyer and future president
Nelson Mandela
who served 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment on the island, as well as two other future presidents,
Kgalema Motlanthe
and
Jacob Zuma
47
In one of the most famous moments marking the end of apartheid, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech since his imprisonment from the balcony of
Cape Town City Hall
, hours after being released on 11 February 1990. His speech heralded the beginning of a new era for the country. The
first democratic election
was held four years later on 27 April 1994.
48
49
50
Nobel Square
in the
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
features statues of South Africa's four
Nobel Peace Prize
winners:
Albert Luthuli
Desmond Tutu
F. W. de Klerk
and
Nelson Mandela
relevant?
discuss
Post-apartheid era
edit
Cape Town has undergone significant changes in the years since Apartheid. Cape Town has experienced economic growth and development in the post-apartheid era. The city has become a major economic hub in South Africa, attracting international investment and tourism. The
Democratic Alliance
(DA), a
liberal
political party which came to power in Cape Town in 2006, has been credited with improving bureaucratic efficiency, public safety and fostering economic development.
51
52
Opinion polls show that South Africans view the Western Cape as the best governed province, Cape Town as the best governed city in the country.
53
54
Of South Africa's 257 municipalities, only 38 received a clean financial audit in 2022 from the
Auditor-General
. Of those, 21 were in the Western Cape.
51
The city's economy has diversified, with growth in sectors such as technology, finance, real estate, and tourism. The establishment of the
Cape Town CCID
has been particularly successful in revitalizing the city center, bringing businesses and people back into the area. This initiative has transformed public spaces such as
Greenmarket Square
Company's Garden
, and St George's Mall, attracting both locals and tourists.
55
In 2014 Cape Town was named
World Design Capital
of the Year.
56
Cape Town was voted the best tourist destination in Africa at the 2023 World Travel Awards in
Dubai
and continues to be the most important tourist destination in the country.
57
58
Cape Town has been named the best travel city in the world every year since 2013 in the
Telegraph
Travel Awards.
59
60
Rapid urbanization driven by migration from the Northern and Eastern Cape,
61
62
along with the legacy of apartheid's spatial planning, have caused significant disparities between affluent areas and impoverished
townships
62
63
60% of the city's population live in townships and informal settlements far from the city centre.
64
The legacy of Apartheid means Cape Town remains one of the most racially segregated cities in South Africa.
65
Many Black South Africans continue to live in informal settlements with limited access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and sanitation.
63
66
The unemployment rate in Cape Town remains high at 23% as of 2024 (though nearly 10 points lower than the nationwide average), particularly among historically disadvantaged groups, and economic opportunities are unevenly distributed.
52
Cape Town faced a
severe water shortage
from 2015 to 2018.
67
According to
Oxfam
, "in the face of an imminent water shortage, the city of Cape Town in South Africa successfully reduced its water use by more than half in three years, cutting it from 1.2bn litres per day in February 2015 to 516m litres per day in 2018."
68
In 2021 Cape Town also experienced a
violent turf war
between
rival mini-bus taxi firms
which led to the deaths of 83 people. Two years later
a strike by the mini-bus taxi firms
resulted in 5 deaths.
Since the 2010s, Cape Town and the wider Western Cape province have seen the rise of a small
secessionist movement
69
Support for parties "which have formally adopted Cape independence" was around 5% in the
2021 municipal elections
70
Geography and the natural environment
edit
Devil's Peak
Table Mountain
and
Lion's Head
Satellite image of Cape Town showing the
Cape Peninsula
(left),
Cape Flats
and
False Bay
3D satellite image of the
City Bowl
, containing
Cape Town CBD
, and
Table Mountain
Cape Town is located at latitude 33.55° S (approximately the same as
Sydney
and
Buenos Aires
and equivalent to
Casablanca
and
Los Angeles
in the northern hemisphere) and longitude 18.25° E.
Table Mountain
, with its near vertical cliffs and flat-topped summit over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, and with
Devil's Peak
and
Lion's Head
on either side, together form a dramatic mountainous backdrop, which creates the
City Bowl
. This area comprises the
Cape Town CBD
as well as numerous suburbs on the mountainside.
A thin strip of cloud, known colloquially as the "tablecloth" ("Karos" in
Afrikaans
), sometimes forms on top of the mountain. To the immediate south of the city, the
Cape Peninsula
is a scenic mountainous spine jutting 40 km (25 mi) southward into the
Atlantic Ocean
and terminating at
Cape Point
There are over 70 peaks above 300 m (980 ft) within
Cape Town's official metropolitan limits
. Many of the city's suburbs lie on the large plain called the
Cape Flats
, which extends over 50 km (30 mi) to the east and joins the peninsula to the mainland. The Cape Town region is characterised by an extensive coastline, rugged mountain ranges, coastal plains and inland valleys.
Extent
edit
The extent of Cape Town has varied considerably over time. It originated as a small settlement at the foot of Table Mountain and has grown beyond its city limits as a
metropolitan area
to encompass the entire
Cape Peninsula
to the south, the
Cape Flats
, the
Helderberg
basin and part of the Steenbras catchment area to the east, and the Tygerberg hills, Blouberg and other areas to the north.
Robben Island
in Table Bay is also part of Cape Town. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and False Bay to the south. To the north and east, the extent is demarcated by boundaries of neighbouring municipalities within the Western Cape province.
The official boundaries of the city proper extend between the
City Bowl
and the
Atlantic Seaboard
to the east and the
Southern Suburbs
to the south. The
City of Cape Town
, the
metropolitan municipality
that takes its name from the city covers the Greater Cape Town
metropolitan area
, known as the Cape Metropole, extending beyond the city proper itself to include a number of satellite towns, suburbs and rural areas such as
Atlantis
Bellville
Blouberg
Brackenfell
Durbanville
Goodwood
Gordon's Bay
Hout Bay
Khayelitsha
Kraaifontein
Kuilsrivier
Macassar
Melkbosstrand
Milnerton
Muizenberg
Noordhoek
Parow
Philadelphia
Simon's Town
Somerset West
, and
Strand
among others.
71
72
The
Cape Peninsula
is 52 km (30 mi) long from
Mouille Point
in the north to Cape Point in the south,
73
with an area of about 470 km
(180 sq mi), and it displays more topographical variety than other similar sized areas in southern Africa, and consequently spectacular scenery. There are diverse low-nutrient soils, large rocky outcrops, scree slopes, a mainly rocky coastline with embayed beaches, and considerable local variation in climatic conditions.
74
The sedimentary rocks of the
Cape Supergroup
, of which parts of the Graafwater and Peninsula Formations remain, were uplifted between 280 and 21S million years ago, and were largely eroded away during the Mesozoic. The region was geologically stable during the Tertiary, which has led to slow denudation of the durable sandstones. Erosion rate and drainage has been influenced by fault lines and fractures, leaving remnant steep-sided massifs like Table Mountain surrounded by flatter slopes of deposits of the eroded material overlaying the older rocks,
74
There are two internationally notable landmarks,
Table Mountain
and
Cape Point
, at opposite ends of the Peninsula Mountain Chain, with the
Cape Flats
and
False Bay
to the east and the
Atlantic Ocean
to the west. The landscape is dominated by sandstone plateaux and ridges, which generally drop steeply at their margins to the surrounding debris slopes, interrupted by a major gap at the Fish Hoek–Noordhoek valley.
In the south much of the area is a low sandstone plateau with sand dunes. Maximum altitude is 1113
m on Table Mountain.
74
The Cape Flats (Afrikaans: Kaapse Vlakte) is a flat, low-lying, sandy area, area to the east the Cape Peninsula, and west of the Helderberg much of which was wetland and dunes within recent history. To the north are the Tygerberg Hills and the Stellenbosch district.
The
Helderberg
area of Greater Cape Town, previously known as the "Hottentots-Holland" area, is mostly residential, but also a wine-producing area east of the Cape Flats, west of the Hottentots Holland mountain range and south of the Helderberg mountain, from which it gets its current name. The Helderberg consists of the previous municipalities of Somerset West, Strand, Gordons Bay and a few other towns. Industry and commerce is largely in service of the area.
After the Cape Peninsula, Helderberg is the next most mountainous part of Greater Cape Town, bordered to the north and east by the highest peaks in the region along the watershed of the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland Mountains, which are part of the Cape Fold Belt with
Cape Supergroup
strata on a basement of Tygerberg Formation rocks intruded by part of the Stellenbosch granite pluton.
The region includes the entire catchment of the Lourens and Sir Lowry's rivers, separated by the Schapenberg hill, and a small part of the catchment of the Eerste River to the west. The Helderberg is ecologically highly diverse, rivaling the Cape Peninsula, and has its own endemic ecoregions and several conservation areas.
To the east of the Hottentots Holland mountains is the valley of the Steenbras River, in which the
Steenbras Dam
was built as a water supply for Cape Town. The dam has been supplemented by several other dams around the western Cape, some of them considerably larger. This is almost entirely a conservation area, of high biodiversity.
Bellville
Brackenfell
Durbanville
Kraaifontein
Goodwood
and
Parow
are a few of the towns that make up the
Northern Suburbs
of Cape Town. In current popular culture these areas are often referred to as being beyond the "
boerewors
curtain," a play on the term "
iron curtain
."
UNESCO
declared
Robben Island
in the Western Cape a
World Heritage Site
in 1999. Robben Island is located in Table Bay, some 6 km (3.7 mi) west of Bloubergstrand, a coastal suburb north of Cape Town, and stands some 30m above sea level. Robben Island has been used as a
prison
where people were isolated, banished, and exiled for nearly 400 years. It was also used as a
leper
colony, a post office, a grazing ground, a mental hospital, and an outpost.
75
The coastline of Cape Town is roughly 307 km long, from Silwerstroomstrand at
33°34′14.994″S
18°20′34.959″E
 / 
33.57083167°S 18.34304417°E
 /
-33.57083167; 18.34304417
on the west coast to slightly south of Kogelbaai at
34°16′10.554″S
18°50′44.905″E
 / 
34.26959833°S 18.84580694°E
 /
-34.26959833; 18.84580694
on the east coast of False Bay.
76
Cape Town's
City Bowl
and
CBD
viewed from
Lion's Head
in May (late autumn)
Cape Town with surrounding peaks
Geology
edit
Main article:
Geology of Cape Town
Geological map of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay
The
Cape Peninsula
is a rocky and mountainous
peninsula
that juts out into the
Atlantic Ocean
at the south-western extremity of the continent. At its tip is Cape Point and the
Cape of Good Hope
. The peninsula forms the west side of False Bay and the Cape Flats. On the east side are the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountains.
The three main rock formations are the late-
Precambrian
Malmesbury group (sedimentary and metamorphic rock), the Cape Granite suit, comprising the huge Peninsula, Kuilsrivier-Helderberg, and Stellenbosch batholiths, that were intruded into the Malmesbury Group about 630 million years ago, and the
Table Mountain group
sandstones that were deposited on the eroded surface of the granite and Malmesbury series basement about 450 million years ago.
The sand, silt and mud deposits were lithified by pressure and then folded during the Cape Orogeny to form the
Cape Fold Belt
, which extends in an arc along the western and southern coasts. The present landscape is due to prolonged erosion having carved out deep valleys, removing parts of the once continuous Table Mountain Group sandstone cover from over the Cape Flats and False Bay, and leaving high residual mountain ridges.
77
At times the sea covered the Cape Flats and
Noordhoek
valley and the Cape Peninsula was then a group of islands. During glacial periods the sea level dropped to expose the bottom of False Bay to weathering and erosion, with the last major regression leaving the entire bottom of False Bay exposed.
During this period an extensive system of dunes was formed on the sandy floor of False Bay. At this time the drainage outlets lay between Rocky Bank Cape Point to the west, and between Rocky Bank and Hangklip Ridge to the east, with the watershed roughly along the line of the contact zone east of Seal Island and Whittle Rock.
77
78
: Ch2
Climate
edit
Llandudno, Western Cape
during a sunny day
Cape Town has a
Mediterranean climate
Köppen
Csa
),
79
80
81
with mild, moderately wet winters and dry, hot summers. Winter, which lasts from June to September, may see large cold fronts entering for limited periods from the Atlantic Ocean with significant
precipitation
and strong north-westerly winds. Winter months in the city average a maximum of 18 °C (64 °F) and minimum of 8.5 °C (47 °F).
Winters are
snow
and
frost
free, except on Table Mountain and on other mountain peaks, where light accumulation of snow and frost can sometimes occur.
82
Total annual rainfall in the city averages 515 mm (20.3 in) although in the
Southern Suburbs
, close to the mountains, rainfall is significantly higher and averages closer to 1,000 mm (39.4 in).
Summer, which lasts from December to March, is hot and dry with an average maximum of 26 °C (79 °F) and minimum of 16 °C (61 °F). The region can get uncomfortably hot when the
Berg Wind
, meaning "mountain wind", blows from the
Karoo
interior.
Spring and summer generally feature a strong wind from the south-east, known locally as the south-easter or the
Cape Doctor
, so called because it blows air pollution away. This wind is caused by a persistent
high-pressure system
over the
South Atlantic
to the west of Cape Town, known as the
South Atlantic High
, which shifts latitude seasonally, following the sun, and influencing the strength of the fronts and their northward reach. Cape Town receives about 3,100 hours of sunshine per year.
83
Water temperatures range greatly, between 10 °C (50 °F) on the
Atlantic Seaboard
, to over 22 °C (72 °F) in
False Bay
. Average annual ocean surface temperatures are between 13 °C (55 °F) on the Atlantic Seaboard (similar to Californian waters, such as
San Francisco
or
Big Sur
), and 17 °C (63 °F) in False Bay (similar to Northern Mediterranean temperatures, such as
Nice
or
Monte Carlo
).
Unlike other parts of the country the city does not have many
thunderstorms
, and most of those that do occur, happen around October to December and March to April.
Climate data for Cape Town (
Cape Town International Airport
) (1991–2020 normals)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
39.1
(102.4)
38.3
(100.9)
42.1
(107.8)
38.6
(101.5)
33.5
(92.3)
29.8
(85.6)
29.0
(84.2)
32.0
(89.6)
33.1
(91.6)
37.2
(99.0)
39.9
(103.8)
41.4
(106.5)
42.1
(107.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
27.0
(80.6)
27.3
(81.1)
26.0
(78.8)
23.6
(74.5)
20.6
(69.1)
18.2
(64.8)
17.9
(64.2)
18.0
(64.4)
19.6
(67.3)
22.2
(72.0)
23.7
(74.7)
25.8
(78.4)
22.5
(72.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)
21.8
(71.2)
21.9
(71.4)
20.5
(68.9)
17.9
(64.2)
15.4
(59.7)
13.2
(55.8)
12.7
(54.9)
13.0
(55.4)
14.5
(58.1)
16.9
(62.4)
18.6
(65.5)
20.7
(69.3)
17.3
(63.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
16.6
(61.9)
16.5
(61.7)
15.0
(59.0)
12.2
(54.0)
10.2
(50.4)
8.1
(46.6)
7.4
(45.3)
7.9
(46.2)
9.4
(48.9)
11.5
(52.7)
13.4
(56.1)
15.6
(60.1)
12.0
(53.6)
Record low °C (°F)
7.4
(45.3)
6.4
(43.5)
4.6
(40.3)
2.4
(36.3)
0.9
(33.6)
−1.2
(29.8)
−1.3
(29.7)
−0.4
(31.3)
0.2
(32.4)
1.0
(33.8)
3.9
(39.0)
6.2
(43.2)
−1.3
(29.7)
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
9.4
(0.37)
9.6
(0.38)
12.5
(0.49)
40.1
(1.58)
61.1
(2.41)
92.3
(3.63)
84.8
(3.34)
72.4
(2.85)
44.3
(1.74)
28.4
(1.12)
25.3
(1.00)
12.8
(0.50)
492.8
(19.40)
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.1 mm)
1.8
1.8
2.5
5.0
7.4
10.1
9.1
9.3
6.8
4.2
4.0
2.6
64.6
Average
relative humidity
(%)
71
72
74
78
81
81
81
80
77
74
71
71
76
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
352.3
304.0
289.7
240.1
196.7
175.9
197.0
206.2
228.4
283.5
302.8
338.4
3,115
Average
ultraviolet index
12
11
10
12
Source:
NOAA
(humidity 1961–1990),
83
84
South African Weather Service,
85
eNCA
86
Climate change
edit
A 2019 paper published in
PLOS One
estimated that under
Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5
, a "moderate" scenario of
climate change
where global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100, the climate of Cape Town in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of
Perth
in
Australia
The annual temperature would increase by 1.1 °C (2.0 °F), and the temperature of the coldest month by 0.3 °C (0.54 °F), while the temperature of the warmest month would be 2.3 °C (4.1 °F) higher.
87
88
According to
Climate Action Tracker
, the current warming trajectory appears consistent with 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which closely matches RCP 4.5.
89
Moreover, according to the 2022
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
, Cape Town is one of 12 major African cities (
Abidjan
Alexandria
Algiers
, Cape Town,
Casablanca
Dakar
Dar es Salaam
Durban
Lagos
Lomé
Luanda
and
Maputo
) which would be the most severely affected by future
sea level rise
. It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damages of US$65 billion under RCP 4.5 and US$86.5 billion for the high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by the year 2050.
Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact from
marine ice sheet instability
at high levels of warming would involve up to US$137.5 billion in damages,
clarification needed
while the additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to US$187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, US$206 billion for RCP8.5 and US$397 billion under the high-end ice sheet instability scenario.
90
Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures.
clarification needed
91
Hydrology
edit
See also:
Cape Peninsula § Drainage
Helderberg § Drainage
, and
Cape Flats § Drainage
Sea surface temperatures
edit
See also:
False Bay § Waves, tides, water circulation and temperature
; and
Cape Peninsula § Oceanography
Charts of sea surface temperature in and near False Bay in summer and winter
92
Cape Town's coastal water ranges from cold to mild, and the difference between the two sides of the peninsula can be dramatic. While the
Atlantic Seaboard
averages annual sea surface temperatures average between 10 and 15 °C (50 and 59 °F), the
False Bay
coast is much warmer, averaging between 16 and 22 °C (61 and 72 °F) annually.
93
In summer,
False Bay
water averages slightly over 20 °C (68 °F), with 22 °C (72 °F) an occasional high. Beaches located on the Atlantic Coast tend to have colder water due to the wind driven upwellings which contribute to the
Benguela Current
which originates off the Cape Peninsula, while the water at False Bay beaches may occasionally be warmer by up to 10 °C (18 °F) at the same time in summer.
93
In summer False Bay is thermally stratified, with a vertical temperature variation of 5 to 9˚C between the warmer surface water and cooler depths below 50
m, while in winter the water column is at nearly constant temperature at all depths. The development of a
thermocline
is strongest around late December and peaks in late summer to early autumn.
94
: 8
In summer the south easterly winds generate a zone of upwelling near
Cape Hangklip
, where surface water temperatures can be 6 to 7 °C colder than the surrounding areas, and bottom temperatures below 12 °C.
94
: 10
In the summer to early autumn (January–March), cold water upwelling near Cape Hangklip causes a strong surface temperature gradient between the south-western and north-eastern corners of the bay. In winter the surface temperature tends to be much the same everywhere. In the northern sector surface temperature varies a bit more (13 to 22
°C) than in the south (14 to 20
°C) during the year.
92
Surface temperature variation from year to year is linked to the
El Niño–Southern Oscillation
. During El Niño years the South Atlantic high is shifted, reducing the south-easterly winds, so upwelling and evaporative cooling are reduced and sea surface temperatures throughout the bay are warmer, while in La Niña years there is more wind and upwelling and consequently lower temperatures. Surface water heating during El Niño increases vertical stratification. The relationship is not linear.
92
Occasionally eddies from the Agulhas current will bring warmer water and vagrant sea life carried from the south and east coasts into False Bay.
Flora and fauna
edit
Main article:
Biodiversity of Cape Town
Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos
growing in
Table Mountain National Park
Located in a
Conservation International
biodiversity hotspot
as well as the unique
Cape Floristic Region
, the city of Cape Town has one of the highest levels of
biodiversity
of any equivalent area in the world.
95
96
These protected areas are a
World Heritage Site
, and an estimated 2,200 species of plants are confined to Table Mountain – more than exist in the whole of the
United Kingdom
which has 1200 plant species and 67 endemic plant species.
97
98
99
Many of these species, including a great many types of
proteas
, are endemic to the mountain and can be found nowhere else.
100
It is home to a total of 19 different
vegetation types
, of which several are
endemic
to the city and occur nowhere else in the world.
101
It is also the only habitat of hundreds of endemic species,
102
and hundreds of others which are severely restricted or threatened. This enormous species diversity is mainly because the city is uniquely located at the convergence point of several different soil types and micro-climates.
103
104
Table Mountain has an unusually rich biodiversity. Its vegetation consists predominantly of several different types of the unique and rich Cape
Fynbos
. The main vegetation type is endangered
Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos
, but
critically endangered
Peninsula Granite Fynbos
Peninsula Shale Renosterveld
and
Afromontane forest
occur in smaller portions on the mountain.
Rapid
population growth
and
urban sprawl
has covered much of these ecosystems with development. Consequently, Cape Town now has over 300
threatened
plant species and 13 which are now
extinct
. The
Cape Peninsula
, which lies entirely within the city of Cape Town, has the highest concentration of
threatened species
of any continental area of equivalent size in the world.
105
Tiny remnant populations of
critically endangered
or
near extinct
plants sometimes survive on road sides, pavements and sports fields.
106
The remaining ecosystems are partially protected through a system of over 30
nature reserves
– including the massive
Table Mountain National Park
107
Cape Town reached first place in the 2019 iNaturalist City Nature Challenge in two out of the three categories: Most Observations, and Most Species. This was the first entry by Capetonians in this annual competition to observe and record the local biodiversity over a four-day long weekend during what is considered the worst time of the year for local observations.
108
A worldwide survey suggested that the extinction rate of endemic plants from the City of Cape Town is one of the highest in the world, at roughly three per year since 1900 – partly a consequence of the very small and localised habitats and high endemicity.
109
In 2025, City of Cape Town enacted the
Cape Town Biodiversity Spatial Plan (CTBSP) 2025
, a biodiversity policy aimed at guiding development in the city. The plan integrates the Cape Town BioNet 2024 Map, which identifies areas to protect to ensure environmental sustainability, and categorizes them into Protected Areas, Critical Biodiversity Areas, Ecological Support Areas, and Other Natural Areas. The policy will help guide spatial planning, environmental assessments, and natural resource management across sectors, and sets a framework for the internal alignment of environmental responsibilities across all City departments.
110
22.72% of Cape Town's municipal land, totaling 55,697 hectares, is under conservation. Of this, 20,039 hectares are managed by the City within 22 nature reserves and 16 Biodiversity Agreement Conservation Areas, many of which are open to the public.
110
Government
edit
Main article:
City of Cape Town
This article is part of a series on the
Politics of the
Western Cape
Constitution
List of acts of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
Executive
Premier
The Hon
Alan Winde
MMP
Provincial Cabinet
Provincial Parliament
Western Cape Parliament
The Seventh Provincial Parliament
Speaker
Daylin Mitchell
MMP
Deputy Speaker
Reagan Allen
MMP
Chief Whip of the Majority Party
Gillon Bosman
MMP
Leader of the Opposition
Khalid Sayed
MMP
Chief Whip of the Official Opposition
Ayanda Bans
MMP
Political Parties
DA
ANC
EFF
GOOD
ACDP
FF+
ALJAMA
Judiciary
Western Cape Division
Administrative divisions
List of municipalities in the Western Cape
Elections
Provincial:
1994
1999
2004
2009
2014
2019
2024
Municipal:
2000
2006
2011
2016
2021
Related topics
Cape Independence
Cape Liberal Tradition
Other provinces
Politics of the Eastern Cape
Politics of the Free State
Politics of Gauteng
Politics of KwaZulu-Natal
Politics of Limpopo
Politics of Mpumalanga
Politics of the Northern Cape
Politics of North West
Politics of the Western Cape
Other countries
Cape Town is governed by a 231-member city council elected in a system of
mixed-member proportional representation
. The city is divided into 116
wards
, each of which elects a councillor by
first-past-the-post voting
. The remaining 115 councillors are elected from
party lists
so that the total number of councillors for each party is proportional to the number of votes received by that party.
111
112
In the
2021 Municipal Elections
, the Democratic Alliance (DA) kept its majority, this time diminished, taking 136 seats. The African National Congress lost substantially, receiving 43 of the seats.
113
114
The Democratic Alliance candidate for the Cape Town mayoralty,
Geordin Hill-Lewis
was elected mayor.
115
In recent years, Cape Town has developed a reputation for good governance, with the city's
infrastructure
spending and upkeep, political stability, CBD
safety
, and municipal service delivery being generally regarded as the best out of all the major metropolitan areas in South Africa. In 2025, Cape Town was, for the third year in a row, the only metropolitan municipality in South Africa to receive a clean
audit
outcome from its
Auditor General
(AG), Tsakani Maluleke.
116
According to the AG, municipalities that achieve clean audits display strong financial and performance management, whilst adhering to legislative requirements, and Cape Town is a model of governance and accountability. The AG further stated that Cape Town showed strong leadership, skilled personnel, accurate records, credible reporting to communities, and good quality planning and performance management. The city has maintained its clean audit status since 2021.
116
Budget
edit
Municipal budgets in SA are set every 3 years, according to the Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF). Some metros, including Cape Town, announce their annual budgets as well.
117
The
City of Cape Town
tabled a roughly R86 billion budget for its 2026/2027 financial year, equating to around a 2-3% increase year-over-year, in line with inflation.
118
Cape Town has one of the highest per capita budgets out of all SA metros, and in the 2025/2026 financial year, its total budget constituted around 20% of the total combined budgets of SA's eight metros.
Approximately R73 billion for that same year was allocated towards the City's operating budget (service delivery), with a further approximately R13 billion going towards its capital budget (infrastructure development). The City spends significantly on infrastructure, in line with its commitment to spend R40 billion over three years to improve various aspects of its infrastructure. A large portion of that spending has in recent years gone towards low-income areas.
118
For the 2025/2026 financial year, focus areas for the City's capital budget included the
MyCiTi
BRT Phase 2 expansion, water network upgrades, expanding the SSU CCTV network, deploying more Metro Police officers, and building small scale energy plants. The City also incorporated a significant social package as part of that year's budget, including adjusted rebates for homes under a certain value. Furthermore, the City absorbed the majority of an 11% electricity tariff placed on metros by
Eskom
, increasing rates for Cape Town residents by just 2%.
119
Allocation of rates
edit
Cape Town has the lowest
rates
out of all South African metros. However, naturally, due to the size of Cape Town's population and the value of its real estate market, significant rates are raised each year. The City details how it allocates those rates. For the 2025/2026 budget, the City stated that for every R1 in rates paid, the allocation was as follows:
119
29% to law enforcement, metro police, fire, and traffic services
15% to free and subsidized services
15% to customer care, IT, and service delivery
14% to infrastructure investment and human settlements
13% to parks, the environment, and libraries
6% to economic growth, tourism, and informal trading
4% to city clinics and health services
4% to the
MyCiTi
public transport network
The Old
Cape Town City Hall
as seen from the
Grand Parade
in front of the building.
The
Cape Town Civic Centre
, the central offices of the City of Cape Town.
The
Western Cape Provincial Parliament
South Africa's national parliament
building is located in Cape Town.
International relations
edit
Cape Town has nineteen active
sister city
agreements
120
Aachen
, Germany
Accra
, Ghana
Atlanta
, United States
Buenos Aires
, Argentina
Bujumbura
, Burundi
Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
Hangzhou
, China
Houston
, United States
Huangshan
, China
İzmir
, Turkey
Los Angeles
, United States
Malmö
, Sweden
Miami-Dade County
, United States
Monterrey
, Mexico
Munich
, Germany
Nairobi
, Kenya
Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
Shenzhen
, China
Varna
, Bulgaria
Wuhan
, China
2022 invasion of Ukraine
edit
Cape Town City hall lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag as a gesture of solidarity with the country.
The
City of Cape Town
has expressed explicit support for Ukraine during the
2022 invasion of the country by Russia
121
To show this support the City of Cape Town lit up the Old City Hall in the colours of the
Ukrainian flag
on 2 March 2022.
122
123
This has differentiated the city from the officially
neutral foreign policy position
taken by the
South African national government
122
Demographics
edit
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1658
360
1731
3,157
+3.02%
1823
15,500
+1.74%
1833
19,227
+2.18%
1836
20,000
+1.32%
1875
45,000
+2.10%
1891
67,000
+2.52%
1901
171,000
+9.82%
1936
344,223
+2.02%
1950
618,000
+4.27%
1955
705,000
+2.67%
1960
803,000
+2.64%
1965
945,000
+3.31%
1970
1,114,000
+3.35%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1975
1,339,000
+3.75%
1980
1,609,000
+3.74%
1985
1,933,000
+3.74%
1990
2,296,000
+3.50%
1996
2,565,018
+1.86%
2001
2,892,243
+2.43%
2007
3,497,097
+3.22%
2011
3,740,025
+1.69%
2016
4,004,793
+1.38%
2021
4,678,900
+3.16%
2022
4,772,846
+2.01%
2023
4,890,000
+2.45%
2024
4,978,000
+1.80%
2025
5,064,000
+1.73%
Note: Census figures (1996–2011) cover
figures after 1994 reflect the greater Cape Town metropolitan municipality reflecting post-1994 reforms.
Sources:
1658–1904,
38
1823,
124
1833,
30
1936,
125
1950–1990,
126
1996,
127
2001, and 2011 Census;
128
2007,
129
2016 & 2021,
130
2022
131
2023, 2024, & 2025
132
Cape Town population pyramid in 2011
Population density in Cape Town
According to the
South African National Census of 2011
, the population of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality – an area that includes suburbs and
exurbs
– is 3,740,026 people. This represents an annual growth rate of 2.6% compared to the results of the
previous census in 2001
which found a population of 2,892,243 people.
133
: 54
Of those residents who were asked about their
first language
, 35.7% spoke
Afrikaans
, 29.8% spoke
Xhosa
and 28.4% spoke
. 24.8% of the population is under the age of 15, while 5.5% is 65 or older.
133
: 64
The
sex ratio
is 0.96, meaning that there are slightly more women than men.
133
: 55
Of those residents aged 20 or older, 1.8% have no schooling, 8.1% have some schooling but did not finish primary school, 4.6% finished primary school but have no secondary schooling, 38.9% have some secondary schooling but did not finish
Grade 12
, 29.9% finished Grade 12 but have no higher education, and 16.7% have higher education.
Overall, 46.6% have at least a Grade 12 education.
133
: 74
Of those aged between 5 and 25, 67.8% are attending an educational institution.
133
: 78
Amongst those aged between 15 and 65 the unemployment rate is 23.7%.
133
: 79
The average annual household income in the
Western Cape
, of which Cape Town is the capital and largest city, is South Africa's highest, by a large margin. As of June 2025, the province's average household income is
407,000. This amount is 35% higher than second-place
Gauteng
, and 50% above the national average.
19
The total number of households grew from 653,085 in 1996 to 1,068,572 in 2011, which represents an increase of 63.6%.
133
: 81
The average number of household members declined from 3,92 in 1996 to 3,50 in 2011.
134
Of those households, 78.4% are in formal structures (houses or
flats
), while 20.5% are in informal structures (
shacks
).
133
: 81
97.3% of City-supplied households have access to electricity,
135
and 94.0% of households use
electricity
for lighting.
133
: 84
87.3% of households have
piped water
to the dwelling, while 12.0% have piped water through a communal tap.
133
: 85
94.9% of households have regular
refuse collection
service.
133
: 86
91.4% of households have a
flush toilet
or
chemical toilet
, while 4.5% still use a bucket toilet.
133
: 87
82.1% of households have a
refrigerator
, 87.3% have a television and 70.1% have a radio. Only 34.0% have a landline telephone, but 91.3% have a cellphone. 37.9% have a computer, and 49.3% have access to the Internet (either through a computer or a cellphone).
133
In 2011 over 70% of cross provincial South African migrants coming into the Western Cape settled in Cape Town; 53.64% of South African migrants into the Western Cape came from the
Eastern Cape
, the old Cape Colony's former native reserve, and 20.95% came from Gauteng province.
136
Cape Town has a young population. In the 2022
census
, the median age of residents in the city was 31. In the same year, approximately 40% of the population of Cape Town was under the age of 25.
137
According to the 2016 City of Cape Town community survey, there were 4,004,793 people in the City of Cape Town metro. Out of this population, 45.7% identified as Black African, 35.1% identified as Coloured, 16.2% identified as White and 1.6% identified as Asian.
138
The Western Cape province, in which Cape Town is the largest city, has the highest rate of marriage out of all South African provinces, by a significant margin. In the 2022 census, 33.8% of those in the province were legally married – almost 10% higher than the next province. In the same census, 50.6% of Western Cape residents had never been married – the lowest out of all South African provinces.
139
During the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
, local media reported that increasing numbers of wealthy and middle-class South Africans have started moving from inland areas of the country to coastal regions – most notably Cape Town – in a phenomenon referred to as "
semigration
" – short for "semi-emigration"
140
141
142
Declining municipal services in the rest of the country and the
South African energy crisis
are other cited reasons for semigration.
143
In 2022, the city expected its population to grow by an additional 400,000 residents between 2020 and 2025, with 76% of those new residents falling into the low-income bracket, earning less than
13,000 a month.
144
According to the United Nations' World Urbanization Prospects (2018), Cape Town's population is projected to continue growing steadily over the next decade. Based on estimates compiled by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2018, the city's population is expected to reach approximately 5.468 million by 2030, and roughly 5.845 million by 2035.
145
Ethnic make-up of Cape Town
Race
1996
2001
2011
2022
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Black
644,181
25.10%
916,635
31.70%
1,444,939
38.60%
2,181,190
45.70%
Coloured
1,239,943
48.40%
1,392,594
48.10%
1,585,286
42.40%
1,670,496
35.00%
White
543,425
21.20%
542,540
18.80%
585,831
15.70%
773,201
16.20%
Indian/Asian
37,882
1.50%
41,477
1.40%
43,593
1.40%
76,365
1.60%
146
Religion
edit
See also:
Religion in South Africa
St George's Anglican Cathedral
is one of the largest and oldest religious sites in the city.
In the
2022 South African Census
, religious data were gathered for the
Western Cape
province, of which Cape Town is the capital and largest city (with 64.21% of the province's population residing in the
City of Cape Town
metro area). The Western Cape census respondents self-identified as follows:
147
85.6% as
Christian
5.2% as
Muslim
5.3% as following a
traditional African religion
2% as having
no religious affiliation
0.8% as "other"
0.3% as
Agnostic
0.3% as
Atheist
0.2% as
Hindu
0.2% as
Jewish
0.1% as
Buddhist
As of 2022, a total of 2.6% of Western Cape residents are
irreligious
147
Most
places of worship
in Cape Town are Christian churches and cathedrals. These include the
Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK)
Zion Christian Church
Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa
Assemblies of God
Baptist Union of Southern Africa
(Baptist World Alliance),
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
(World Methodist Council),
Anglican Church of Southern Africa
(Anglican Communion),
Presbyterian Church of Africa
(World Communion of Reformed Churches),
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town
(Catholic Church),
148
the
Orthodox Archbishopric of Good Hope
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St George
),
149
and
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(LDS Church).
150
Islam
is the city's second largest religion with a
long history in Cape Town
151
This has resulted in a number of mosques and other Muslim religious sites spread across the city,
152
such as the
Auwal Mosque
- South Africa's first mosque.
Cape Town's significant
Jewish population
supports a number of synagogues, the most notable of which is the historic
Gardens Shul
, the oldest Jewish congregation in South Africa.
153
Marais Road Shul
, located in
Sea Point
(a suburb with a notable Jewish population), is the largest Jewish congregation in South Africa.
154
Temple Israel
(Cape Town Progressive Jewish Congregation) also has three temples in the city.
155
Other affiliated institutions include a
Chabad
centre in Sea Point and a
Chabad on Campus
at the
University of Cape Town
, catering to Jewish students.
156
Other religious sites in the city include
Hindu
and
Buddhist
temples and centres.
157
158
Crime
edit
Sign warning motorists about the prevalence of
smash and grab
incidents at a "Crime Hot Spot" on the
M5 freeway
, between the lower-income neighbourhoods of
Grassy Park
and
Retreat
, situated in the
Cape Flats
region of the city
Overview
edit
In recent years, the
City of Cape Town
metro
government) has made significant progress in combatting crime across Cape Town. Measures include the expanded use of digital tools, such as
CCTV cameras
and
UAVs
; increased Highway Patrol presence; substantially increased numbers of Law Enforcement officers; dispatching specialized teams of officers to areas based on the types of localized crimes there; targeting areas of specifically high crime; and lobbying the
national government
for more control (via the
devolution
of powers) over local policing.
159
Measures also include facilitating collaboration between various local and provincial law enforcement agencies and units (including the Traffic Service, Highway Patrol, Flying Squad, Ghost Squad, Law Enforcement, LEAP, LEAS, Disaster Volunteers, Gang and Drug Task Team, Metal Theft Unit, and SSU).
159
Overall, Cape Town has historically had high levels of violent crime. However, these city-wide statistics are heavily skewed and predominantly driven by
gang violence
in specific suburbs, many of which are located in the lower-income
Cape Flats
region of the city.
160
This situation has created quite a disparity between safety levels amongst residents of Cape Town, with those in many of the city's suburbs enjoying a life devoid of the kinds of risks faced by those living in and commuting through high-crime neighbourhoods.
66
161
162
Crime in Cape Town in general is attributed to various factors, many of which are shared with other major
South African metros
. These include
economic inequality
(which can be linked to the legacy of
apartheid's
spatial and social divisions),
unemployment
alcohol abuse
, the prevalence of illegal
firearms
, a lack of rehabilitation and support services for offenders leading to
recidivism
, and a lack of community safety organizations.
66
161
162
Crime in Cape Town is a serious problem which affects the
quality of life
and safety of its residents and visitors. Between 2022 and 2023, Cape Town recorded the highest number of murders in a single year of any city in the world, at 2,998, followed by fellow South African metros
Johannesburg
and
Durban
. This represented an increase of 8.6% year-on-year.
163
164
Household crimes including
burglary
also increased in the same period.
165
In 2022,
Mexico
's Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice ranked Cape Town among the most violent cities in the world, based on average crime statistics across all suburbs.
166
The minibus taxi industry has been the source of a number of
violent confrontations
in the city. The northern and eastern sections of the city was the scene of the
2021 Cape Town taxi conflict
, a violent turf war which led to 83 deaths. The
2023 Cape Town taxi strike
resulted in 5 recorded deaths.
167
168
Localization of crime
edit
As with other major metropolitan areas in South Africa, the majority of crime in Cape Town tends to be concentrated in very specific areas, more often than not being the Cape Flats, indicating the potential success of place-based crime intelligence methods.
162
In Cape Town, a lot of the crime that occurs, especially violent crime, takes place in the neighbourhoods of
Philippi East
(a notorious area for such crime), Delft, Nyanga, Mfuleni, Gugulethu, Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, Grassy Park, Lentegeur, Kleinvlei, and Mitchell's Plain. All of these suburbs are best avoided (even during transit) by locals and tourists.
169
160
Other notable areas for violent crime include Kraaifontein, Atlantis, Athlone, Kleinvlei, Khayelitsha, Harare, Bishop Lavis, Muizenberg, Lingelethu-West, Table View,
Bellville
, Parow, Goodwood, Milnerton, and Makhaza. These suburbs are also best avoided (even during transit) by locals and tourists.
169
160
Notable areas for high rates of non-violent crime include
Cape Town CBD
, Steenberg, Wynberg, Sea Point, Woodstock, Samora Machel, Claremont, Somerset West, Brackenfell, Ravensmead, Philippi, and Strand.
160
Travelers
edit
While the
UK Foreign Office
considers Cape Town safe to travel to, it notes high crime rates on certain roads leading to and from
Cape Town International Airport
. These include the
R300
regional road, and Borcherds Quarry Road. The Foreign Office recommends using the
M3
metropolitan freeway and
N2
national freeway instead of the R300, and recommends using the Airport Approach Road (Exit 16 on the N2), instead of Borcherds Quarry Road. Doing so allows drivers to avoid being routed to and through high-crime areas and intersections.
170
171
Community initiatives
edit
For certain activities in which locals partake, members of the community have come together to increase safety in Cape Town. An example for
hiking
- a popular pastime in Cape Town - is the Hikers Network's
172
SafetyMountain Tracking, a
WhatsApp
-based emergency service manned by volunteers. The service tracks hikers and other
mountain
users (such as
runners
and
cyclists
) on their adventures, giving them instant access to assistance in case of an emergency, such as injury, sudden illness, rockfall, getting lost, and crime.
173
Recent improvements
edit
In early 2025, the City of Cape Town announced that progress had been made in combatting crime, with crime levels in certain notorious areas decreasing, according to statistics based on community reporting of incidents of crime. Daily patrol officers were complimented for their efforts, and the City said it was working closely with the
Western Cape Government
and the
South African Police Service
to adjust its law enforcement efforts according to changes in the city's crime statistics.
174
Despite the crime levels, the city's
economy
has grown, as a result of good governance, investments in infrastructure, and an attractive business environment, as well as due to growth in the local
tourism
and
real estate
industries.
175
Since July 2019 widespread violent crime in poorer
gang dominated
areas of greater Cape Town has resulted in an ongoing military presence in these neighbourhoods.
176
177
In terms of minibus taxi safety, the
Western Cape Government
now takes to special measures during times of high crime, whereby it temporarily shuts down specific routes that are directly impacted. The Province is able to invoke Section 91 of the National Land Transport Act, a legal provision that allows a provincial government to impose extraordinary measures when violence, unrest, or instability in the public transport sector places lives at risk. Such measures were taken by the Western Cape Mobility Department for 30 days (with a subsequent extension), on routes in Mfuleni, Somerset West, Khayelitsha, Nomzamo, and Lwandle, in late 2025.
178
In 2025, Cape Town's Mayoral Committee Member (MCM) for Safety and Security,
JP Smith
, said that the expanded use of digital tools to complement
law enforcement
efforts has become part of the city's
public safety
operations. These tools include a vast network of
CCTV cameras
and
drones
, which have already proven successful in assisting with both arrests and prosecution.
179
Economy
edit
Cape Town CBD
is the main economic hub of the city, housing the headquarters of many of South Africa's largest companies, as well as numerous tourist attractions and amenities for residents
See also:
Economy of the Western Cape
Top 20
publicly traded
companies in Cape Town,
ranked by mid-2025
market capitalization
180
Rank in SA
Company
Industry
Market cap
Naspers
Mass media
850.60 billion
10
Sanlam
Finance
R171.99 billion
13
Shoprite
Retail
R150.21 billion
19
Pepkor
Retail
R100.86 billion
24
Clicks
Retail
R84.91 billion
26
Ninety One
Finance
R75.68 billion
30
Mr Price
Retail
R54.86 billion
37
Growthpoint
Real estate
R46.66 billion
38
Woolworths
Retail
R46.65 billion
39
Santam
Finance
R45.97 billion
41
TFG
Retail
R39.78 billion
47
Pick n Pay
Retail
R26.74 billion
48
Truworths
Retail
R25.45 billion
64
Coronation
Finance
R14.39 billion
72
Hosken
Diversified
R10.65 billion
75
Alexander Forbes
Finance
R9.72 billion
86
Stadio
Education
R7.16 billion
89
Oceana
FMCG
R6.40 billion
94
Curro
Education
R4.98 billion
97
Sygnia
Finance
R4.38 billion
Cape Town is
Africa
's third-largest economic hub, and South Africa's second-largest by annual gross metropolitan output. It serves as the regional financial and manufacturing center in the
Western Cape
province.
The city has a diverse economy that is not significantly reliant on any particular sector. While the financial sector accounts for 22% of the Western Cape's annual economic output, as of 2025, its tech sector is growing at an annual rate of 8%. The city also has a substantial Green Economy, with numerous
renewable energy
companies headquartered in the metro, and around R15 billion invested into the sector in 2024 alone.
19
Income levels
edit
As of June 2025, Cape Town has South Africa's highest average household income, as well as the country's lowest rate of unemployment, and strongest-performing property market.
23
The average annual household income in the
Western Cape
is the highest in South Africa. As of June 2025, the province's average household income is
407,000. This amount is 35% higher than second-place
Gauteng
, and 50% above the national average.
19
Employment levels
edit
The professional, scientific, and technical services sector accounts for 23.34% (around 254,600 people) of the city's employment, which is the highest of any other industry.
The construction industry is the second-largest by number of employees, as it accounts for 9.29% (around 101,300 people) of the city's employment. The manufacturing sector, the second largest sector, also accounts for a large part of the city's employment opportunities as it provides 18.15% of the city's employment.
181
Whereas unemployment has increased in numerous major cities across the country in recent years, in Cape Town, employment has increased. In 2025, it was reported that the city had diverged from a national trend, and added 86,000 jobs. The
Mayor of Cape Town
attributed this growth to good governance and
infrastructure
investments, creating an attractive
business
environment, and an increase in
tourism
20
The Western Cape's unemployment levels are below the national average. Formal sector jobs in the Western Cape grew by 3.1% in 2024 - 61% higher than the national average.
19
Economic output and growth
edit
In 2019, the city's
GMP
of R489 billion
182
(US$33.04 billion)
183
represented 71.1% of the Western Cape's total
GRP
and 9.6% of South Africa's total GDP;
182
the city also accounted for 11.1%
182
of all employed people in the country and had a citywide
GDP per capita
of R111,364
182
(US$7,524).
183
A commercial construction site in the suburb of
Tokai
As of 2024, Cape Town's labor force consists of 1.1 million workers. The largest sector in Cape Town is the professional and business services industry, which accounts for 29.61% of the city's workforce.
Cape Town has significantly above-average economic performance amongst its South African
metropolitan peers
, and numerous companies have moved employees and their headquarters to the city in recent years.
184
In 2025, according to
Statistics South Africa
(Stats SA), Cape Town had the lowest unemployment rate out of all South African cities.
In 2008, Cape Town was considered the most
entrepreneurial
city in South Africa, with the percentage of Capetonians pursuing business opportunities almost three times higher than the national average. Capetonians aged between 18 and 64 were 190% more likely to pursue new business, whilst in Johannesburg, the same demographic group was only 60% more likely than the national average to pursue a new business.
185
Major industries
edit
Cape Town's economy consists of a diverse mix of industries. The
professional
, scientific, and technical services sector forms a major part of the local economy.
Tech
edit
With the highest number of successful
information technology
companies in Africa, Cape Town is an important centre for the industry on the continent.
186
This includes an increasing number of companies in the
space industry
187
Cape Town is home to over 60
fintech
startups
188
Growing at an annual rate of 8.5%, the
tech
industry is a major part of Cape Town's economy.
186
Cape Town is home to numerous tech company headquarters, including those of Admyt,
Xneelo
Jumo
Yoco
, Aerobotics, Luno, Vault22, and
Rain
, as well as fiber network operators Frogfoot, Octotel, and Liquid Intelligent Technologies, the latter of which operates Africa's largest independent fiber network. A number of entrepreneurial initiatives hosting tech
startups
, such as the Sun Exchange, are located in the city.
189
Retail
edit
Cape Town is a hub for South Africa's
retail industry
as a whole, with the city housing the headquarters of nine of South Africa's major retail companies, including all but one of its largest
supermarket
chains.
Major brick and mortar retailers headquartered in Cape Town include
Woolworths
(including
Absolute Pets
);
Pick n Pay
Shoprite
(including
Checkers
and
Petshop Science
Pepkor
(including
Pep
and
Ackermans
);
MRP
TFG
(including Foschini, Sportscene, TotalSports, and Bash);
Clicks
(including
Sorbet
Truworths
; and
Cape Union Mart
South Africa's largest online retailer,
Takealot
(including subsidiaries Mr D and Superbalist) has its headquarters in
Cape Town CBD
Other, smaller retailers headquartered in Cape Town include
Yuppiechef
and
Stodels
Film
edit
The city has the largest film industry in the
Southern Hemisphere
190
generating R5 billion (US$476.19 million) in revenue and providing an estimated 6,058 direct and 2,502 indirect jobs in 2013.
191
Much of the industry is based out of the
Cape Town Film Studios
Conferences
edit
The
Cape Town International Convention Centre
In recent years, Cape Town, has become a global
conference
hub, and a highly desirable place to host delegates for
meetings
. The
Cape Town International Convention Centre
(CTICC) in Cape Town's
CBD
hosts many large conferences throughout each year. The city has been increasing in popularity in this regard, and in June 2025, it was reported that Cape Town had reached 35th place globally in the International Congress and Convention Association's (ICCA) rankings of popular destinations for international association meetings.
192
The report highlighted that Cape Town hosted 58 such meetings in 2024, which constitutes 60% of the total hosted across South Africa that year. Cape Town also placed among the top 10 cities worldwide for average attendance per event, with an average of 717 delegates per meeting.
The Western Cape's official tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency, Wesgro, stated that Cape Town and the Western Cape Convention Bureau secured 36 new conference bids in the 2024/25 financial year alone. These events are expected to generate
745 million in economic impact, and attract over 27,000 delegates through to 2028.
192
Renewable energy
edit
The majority of South Africa's growing
renewable energy
industry is based in the Western Cape.
193
Numerous renewable energy companies are headquartered in Cape Town, including Treetops,
SOLA Group
Anthem
Mulilo
, Phelan Green Energy, GreenCape, Red Rocket, African Clean Energy Developments, and G7 Renewable Energies.
194
Boat building
edit
Cape Town has in recent years positioned itself as a notable player in the
boat building
industry. The city has become a regional hub for the sector, and is home to numerous boat building yards. Robertson and Caine, one of the world’s largest producers of luxury
catamarans
, is headquartered in the city, as is high-tech racing yacht company Cape Racing Yachts, and superyacht specialist Southern Wind. Cape Town is home to a skilled boat building workforce and a dedicated group of artisans in the industry, and the city produces more luxury catamarans than any other city in the world.
195
196
Major companies
edit
The
Naspers Centre
is the headquarters of
Naspers
, South Africa's largest mass media company, and the
third-largest listed company by annual revenue
headquartered in Cape Town
Cape Town is home to the headquarters of many of South Africa's largest companies, across a variety of industries, many of which are located in its
CBD
. As of 2022 data, 8 of South Africa's 50
largest companies by annual revenue
were headquartered in Cape Town.
Another major industry for the city is
tech
, with Cape Town being considered Africa's
tech hub
. The city also has a strong
finance
industry, and is home to 6 of South Africa's largest companies operating in the consumer finance,
insurance
, and
investment
sector. Other local industries include insurance, publishing, design, fashion, shipping, petrochemicals, architecture, advertising, real estate, and tourism.
197
Some of the most notable companies headquartered in the city are
food
and
fashion
retailer
Woolworths
198
major
supermarket
chains
Pick n Pay
Checkers
, and
Shoprite
199
pet store
retailers
Absolute Pets
and
Petshop Science
, healthcare and personal care retail chain
Clicks
, fashion retailers
Pepkor
Ackermans
Truworths
, and
Foschini Group
200
internet service provider
MWEB
Mediclinic Group
eTV
, multinational
mass media
giant
Naspers
, major
financial services
organizations
Sanlam
201
Old Mutual Park
202
Allan Gray
Coronation
, airline
LIFT
, major
real estate
company
Pam Golding
, South Africa's largest
e-commerce
company,
Takealot
, and the country's largest fuel company,
Engen Petroleum
Media
is another of Cape Town's major industries. The city is home to the headquarters of numerous of South Africa's largest print and digital news publications, including
Daily Maverick
News24
, and
Media24
(which owns publications like
City Press
, as well as a regional office of
Primedia
). Furthermore, the headquarters of South Africa's largest independent and only privately owned
free-to-air
television
station,
e.tv
, is located in Cape Town.
Other notable companies headquartered in Cape Town include
Stodels
Travelstart
Wootware
Xneelo
Yuppiechef
Belron
Ceres Fruit Juices
Coronation Fund Managers
SOLA Group
, and
Vida e Caffè
. The city is a manufacturing base for several multinational companies including,
Johnson & Johnson
GlaxoSmithKline
Levi Strauss & Co.
Adidas
Bokomo Foods
, and
Yoco
Amazon Web Services
maintains one of its largest facilities in the world in Cape Town, with the city serving as the African headquarters for its parent company,
Amazon
203
204
Tourism
edit
Clifton Beach
is one of Cape Town's most famous beaches
Table Mountain
from the
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
African penguins
at
Boulders Penguin Colony
The Western Cape is a highly important tourist region in South Africa; the tourism industry accounts for 9.8% of the GDP of the province and employs 9.6% of the province's workforce.
205
In 2024, Cape Town had its busiest tourist season ever. Over 2.4 million tourists visited the city, spending around
25 billion and supporting over 106,000 jobs (around 7% of the city's total employment). Cape Town is directly connected to 31 global destinations, with 226 international flights each week during its peak tourist season.
206
Cape Town is not only a popular international tourist destination in
South Africa
, but
Africa
as a whole. This is in part due to its mild climate, natural setting, costal geography, and well-developed infrastructure.
The city has several well-known natural features that attract tourists, most notably
Table Mountain
207
which forms a large part of the
Table Mountain National Park
and is the back end of the
City Bowl
. Reaching the top of the mountain can be achieved either by hiking up, or by taking the
Table Mountain Cableway
Cape Point
is the dramatic headland at the end of the
Cape Peninsula
208
Many tourists also drive along
Chapman's Peak Drive
, a narrow road that links
Noordhoek
with
Hout Bay
, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike up
Signal Hill
for closer views of the
CBD
, City Bowl area, and Table Mountain.
209
Tourists also commonly visit
Cape Town's beaches
, which are also very popular with local residents.
210
It is possible to visit several different beaches in the same day, each with a different setting and atmosphere.
Both coasts are popular, although the beaches in affluent
Clifton
and elsewhere on the Atlantic Coast are better developed, with restaurants and cafés lining Beach Road, alongside the various beaches.
The
Atlantic Seaboard
, known as Cape Town's
Riviera
, is regarded as one of the most scenic routes in South Africa; along the slopes of the Twelve Apostles to the boulders and white sand beaches of
Llandudno
, with the route ending in
Hout Bay
, a diverse suburb with a fishing and recreational boating harbour near a small island with a breeding colony of
African fur seals
Hout Bay is also accessible by road from the
Constantia
Valley, over the mountains to the northeast, and via the picturesque
Chapman's Peak
drive, from the residential suburb of
Noordhoek
, situated in the
False Bay
area to the south-east.
211
Boulders Beach
near
Simon's Town
is known for its colony of
African penguins
212
The city has a rich history, and several notable cultural attractions. Within
Cape Town CBD
there are the
Artscape
and
District Six Homecoming Center
theaters, The Houses of
Parliament
, the Iziko museums and Planetarium, the South African National Gallery, the
Castle of Good Hope
, and
The Company's Garden
(South Africa's oldest park). The CBD is also home to many coffeehouses, as well as numerous restaurants that provide a variety of local cuisine options.
The
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
is a mixed-use development built on top of part of the
docks
of the
Port of Cape Town
, and is the city's most-visited tourist attraction. It is also one of the city's most popular shopping venues, with several hundred shops as well as the
Two Oceans Aquarium
213
214
The V&A also hosts the Nelson Mandela Gateway, through which
ferries
depart for
Robben Island
215
It is possible to take a ferry from the V&A to
Hout Bay
Simon's Town
and the
Cape fur seal
colonies on Seal and Duiker Islands. Several companies offer tours of the
Cape Flats
, a region of mostly Coloured & Black
townships
216
Within the metropolitan area, the most popular areas for visitors to stay include
Camps Bay
Sea Point
, the
V&A Waterfront
, the
CBD
Hout Bay
Constantia
Rondebosch
Newlands
, and
Somerset West
217
In November 2013, Cape Town was voted the best global city in
The Daily Telegraph
's
annual Travel Awards.
218
Cape Town offers tourists a range of air-, land-, and sea-based adventure activities, including helicopter rides,
paragliding
and
skydiving
, snorkelling and
scuba diving
, boat trips, game-fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing.
Surfing
is popular in the city, along both coasts, and Cape Town hosts the
Red Bull Big Wave Africa
surfing competition every year. The city also has some local and international recreational scuba tourism.
219
The
City of Cape Town
works closely with
Cape Town Tourism
(CTT), the body tasked with promoting tourism in the city. Being the official destination
marketing
agency for Cape Town, CTT has a mandate from the city to advocate for and promote tourism in the Cape Town metropolitan area, to both local and foreign markets.
The primary focus of Cape Town Tourism is to represent and advocate for Cape Town as an appealing tourist destination, as well as to track and report on metrics related to tourism in Cape Town (which CTT does as part of its Annual Report, published online).
220
221
Cape Town Tourism receives a portion of its funding from the City of Cape Town while the remainder is made up of membership fees and own-generated funds.
222
The
Tristan da Cunha
government owns and operates a lodging facility in Cape Town which charges discounted rates to Tristan da Cunha residents and non-resident natives.
223
Cape Town's transport system links it to the rest of South Africa; it serves as the gateway to other destinations within the province. The
Cape Winelands
and in particular the towns of
Stellenbosch
Paarl
and
Franschhoek
are popular day trips from the city for sightseeing and
wine tasting
224
225
Inequality
edit
The city of Cape Town's
Gini coefficient
of 0.58
226
is lower than South Africa's Gini coefficient of 0.7. This makes it more equal than the rest of the country, including any other major South African city, although still highly unequal by international standards.
227
228
Between 2001 and 2010 the city's Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality, improved by dropping from 0.59 in 2007 to 0.57 in 2010
229
only to increase to 0.58 by 2017.
230
Housing
edit
Modern, multi-story housing in
Somerset West
Cape Town has a mix of
detached
homes
of various sizes,
townhouses
, and
apartments
. Certain
neighbourhoods
(especially older ones and those in the
Southern Suburbs
) tend to be dominated by larger, detached houses on separate plots of land, with parks and tree-lined streets. Newer suburbs, and those in the
Northern Suburbs
, feature more of a mix of housing types, including low- and high-rise buildings and townhouse developments.
231
Home ownership
edit
The city has for years had the most expensive
average home price in South Africa
. In September 2024, the average
residential
property price in Cape Town was
2.23 million. This was an increase of 36% from the average price of R1.63 million in 2014 (a decade before), indicating consistently strong returns on
investment
for those in the Cape Town property market. Sellers often get their asking price, or within 5% of it.
232
233
As of 2021, South Africa's upmarket real estate segment covered homes worth more than R1.5 million. Most of the country's high-value
residential
properties are located in the Western Cape, of which Cape Town is the capital.
234
Cape Town's property market grows at a rate far exceeding that of other major metropolitan areas in the country.
19
For example, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported that between January 2010 and November 2022, Cape Town property prices increased at around double the rate of those in Johannesburg.
235
The city has been ranked as the world's second-strongest-performing real estate market.
236
This performance improved further in more recent years. In June 2025, it was reported in South Africa's Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) that Cape Town's property values had not only increased by significantly more than the national average, but had also increased by almost 4 times as much as second-place Johannesburg's.
237
To afford the average home in Cape Town, a salary of over R80,000 per month is required, which is significantly higher than in other provinces, and around 3 times the national average salary in South Africa.
238
The
Western Cape
province in general requires far higher salaries for affording to purchase the average property than in other provinces.
239
Property in the
Southern Suburbs
offers a peaceful lifestyle and is generally more expensive, as is property in the
Atlantic Seaboard
area, for its ocean views, and property in the
City Bowl
region, for its proximity to
Cape Town's CBD
and amenities. Conversely, property in the
Cape Flats
is cheaper on average, as the region is less desirable to live in. The same goes for property in the
Northern Suburbs
region, where lower costs are as a result of living further from central Cape Town, and more space to build outwards (both inland and up the west coast).
Some suburbs in Cape Town have had exceptionally high property value growth in recent years. For example, in 2025, it was reported that
Kalk Bay
, an old fishing village in the
False Bay
area of Cape Town, had its house prices grow by around R1 million every year since 2020, due to an increase in demand for property in the Western Cape. The average price of a home in the suburb rose from R4.9 million in 2020 to R9 million at the start of 2025; an 83% increase over that 4-year period, or over 20% per year.
240
241
Likewise, the small town of
Scarborough
, which forms part of the
City of Cape Town
and is popular with foreign home buyers, saw a 241% increase in property values over a 9-year period, with average home values rising from R2.30 million in 2016 to R7.85 million in 2025. One reason for this kind of housing price growth in Cape Town is the local municipality's investments in maintaining and upgrading neighbourhoods, to create an attractive environment for residents to live in.
240
241
242
Property prices in Cape Town are around double the national average of R1.41 million, according to home loan statistics. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the national average home price recorded its second consecutive decrease. Meanwhile, Cape Town property prices have continued to increase.
243
244
Cape Town's property values increase on average around 10% per year. The consistently strong property prices and growth thereof can be attributed to numerous factors, including good service delivery by local government, a strong local economy, the coastal lifestyle that Capetonians enjoy, and semigration (individuals moving from other South African provinces into the Western Cape).
243
244
23
19
Cape Town trends among the top 20 cities worldwide for capital value growth, further increasing the attractiveness of owning a home in the city.
245
Cape Town housing is in short supply due to a number of issues, including
NIMBYISM
, delays in approvals for social housing, a lack of space to build outwards, and an increase in properties listed as
short-term rentals
on
Airbnb
and similar platforms.
233
246
The negative impact of the unchecked growth of
short-term rentals
, such as Airbnbs, on the housing market was confirmed in January 2026 by South African
Minister of Tourism
Patricia de Lille
. She stated that the primary solution was to build more affordable housing close to
Cape Town CBD
247
In February 2026, the City of Cape Town announced plans to significantly increase
municipal rates
for
short-term rental
properties, as part of combating low housing availability. The shift will result in short-term rentals, like those from
Airbnb
and
Booking.com
, being charged commercial tariffs instead of residential ones. This would increase their tariffs by as much as 135%, and put them in the same category that
hotels
and
guest houses
already are. As part of the announcement, the City stated it was correcting an imbalance in taxes, and that short-term rental operators should not be able to benefit from
residential
tariffs while running what is effectively a
commercial
business.
248
Despite not being the
largest city in South Africa by population
, Cape Town has built the highest number of affordable housing units, by a significant margin. During the period 1994 through 2025, the City of Cape Town constructed a total of 202,070 affordable housing units. In February 2026, it was reported that during the preceding five years, Cape Town had handed over a total of 12,401 affordable houses (equating to 2,480 per year). This was more affordable homes than the next two largest
metros
combined, and 152% more affordable homes than
Johannesburg
(a significantly larger city by population) handed over during the same period.
249
In early 2025, 14% of homes listed for sale were new to the market. The most common size of properties for sale was 2-bedroom, followed by 3-bedroom properties.
231
The city is home to some of South Africa's most expensive neighbourhoods, including
Constantia
and
Bishopscourt
in the
Southern Suburbs
Tamboerskloof
and
Higgovale
in the
City Bowl
; and
Fresnaye
Camps Bay
Clifton
Llandudno
, and
Bantry Bay
in the
Atlantic Seaboard
. Affluent areas are popular with international buyers from countries including the
United Kingdom
, the
Netherlands
Germany
, and
France
, with some purchasing homes around R60 million (~ £2.5 million / €3 million / US$3.3 million).
250
244
245
9 out of South Africa's 10 most expensive suburbs are in Cape Town.
251
In 2021, Cape Town's
residential
property market was valued at R1.22 trillion, the highest out of all major South African
metropolitan areas
. The city's property market constituted 72% of the entire Western Cape's residential property market value, and 21% of the national property market value. The city had significantly more homes valued in the luxury market segment (at 43% of the total) than in any other major South African metro area. In the same year, there were around 800,000 residential properties located in Cape Town. 76% of those were detached homes, 15% were apartments, and 9% were semi-detached homes.
252
As of April 2025, Cape Town had a home ownership rate of 6.6% among those aged 18 to 35; 22.7% among those aged 36 to 49; 35.7% for those aged 50 to 64; and 35% for those aged 65 or older. In the same month, 25.8% of new home buyers in Cape Town were aged 18 to 35.
231
Rentals
edit
In 2025, the average rent price in Cape Town for a 2-bedroom apartment was approximately
12,000 per month. However, this value varies significantly between suburbs. For a property of the same size, some neighbourhoods offer rent as low as R7,000 per month, while in other, more desirable areas, this may be as high as R30,000 per month. The city has excellent gross rental yields, with some properties generating as much as a 10.5% return on investment for owners.
253
254
Rental prices for apartments in affluent areas can often exceed the city's average by multiples. For example, in 2024, three areas in the Atlantic Seaboard – Camps Bay, Clifton, and Bantry Bay – averaged rental prices of R40,000 per month for a 1-bedroom apartment, and R120,000 per month for a 3-bedroom apartment. In Cape Town, popular rental website Property24 lists almost 100 rentals per month at prices over R100,000 per month, and some rentals cost as much as R300,000 per month.
255
Average rent prices in Cape Town increased by 5.2% in 2025, in line with the national average.
256
As of 2024, the city has the lowest
rental vacancy rate
out of all major South African metropolitan areas.
255
In 2021, approximately 18% of Cape Town residents rented their homes.
252
With nearly 5,000 students from over 100 countries studying at the
University of Cape Town
(UCT), 18% of the student body is international, which increases demand for rental properties in Cape Town. Student housing – accommodation provided by the University of Cape Town – has a shortfall, which is made up by the private rental market. In 2023, there were 28,000 registered UCT students, with 8,400 of them securing UCT residence places.
256
As of 2025, rental prices in the Western Cape were the highest in South Africa, and 23% above the national average. It has been the most expensive province in South Africa for renting since 2016.
257
258
The Western Cape's reputation as South Africa's best-run province, with efficient governance and high-quality, well-maintained infrastructure, has made it an attractive destination for tenants.
256
The average rent price in the Western Cape in the fourth quarter of 2024 was R11,141. This was the first time the figure had gone beyond the R11,000 mark. The Western Cape also has the lowest number of tenants in arrears (those who are behind on rental payments) out of all South African provinces.
259
The Western Cape had a record-low vacancy rate of 1.07% in the third quarter of 2024.
256
Infrastructure and services
edit
The City of Cape Town has a strong focus and high level of spending on infrastructure development and maintenance. The City spent a total of
9.5 billion on infrastructure development during the 2024 to 2025 financial year.
260
For the 2025 to 2026 financial year, the city's budget was R12.6 billion. In the same year, the City apportioned R120 billion for its 10-year infrastructure portfolio.
21
Cape Town has a larger infrastructure budget than the combined budgets of all three
metropolitan areas
in the province of
Gauteng
21
Most goods are handled through the
Port of Cape Town
or
Cape Town International Airport
. Most major shipbuilding companies have offices in Cape Town.
261
The province is also a centre of energy development for the country, with the existing
Koeberg nuclear power station
providing energy for the Western Cape's needs.
262
Cape Town has five major
commercial
nodes, with the city's
CBD
containing around 40% of its office space.
263
Century City
, the
Bellville
/Tygervalley strip, Westlake, and
Claremont
commercial nodes are well-established and contain many offices and corporate
headquarters
, for both local and international companies.
Cape Town's
property investment
and
construction
markets consistently perform well above its metropolitan peers in South Africa.
184
In September 2025, the City implemented new planning rules for property development that reduce approval times. Through its Municipal Planning Amendment by-law, costs for developers, and by extension buyers, are reduced. Furthermore, opportunities opened up for small-scale developers to build up to 12
affordable
rental units on certain residential plots, without the need to go through a
rezoning
process, thereby speeding up the building of
affordable housing in Cape Town
. The City stated that it was also investigating the use of
artificial intelligence
(AI) to process future development applications.
264
Telecommunications
edit
Cape Town has a well-established telecoms infrastructure network, which includes:
Fibre to the premises
for residential and commercial buildings. Fibre network operators (FNOs) like
Vumatel
, Frogfoot, and
Octotel
, provide connectivity as high as 1 Gbit/s, with a separate 1 Gbit/s redundant line, to homes and business premises. These services also provide optional
VoIP
connectivity.
265
The city derives its main
undersea
connectivity from
West African
cable routes, such as WACS, Equiano, and SACS, as well as Pan African cables like 2africa. Many of these land at either
Yzerfontein
, around 2 hours from Cape Town, or
Melkbosstrand
, just to the north of the city.
266
5G
and
4G
cellular networks
, with coverage in almost all areas of the metro region, from major providers such as
Vodacom
MTN
, and
Cell C
, as well as options from
MVNOs
like
Rain
267
Health
edit
The city contains many well-equipped clinics and hospitals in both the public and private healthcare sectors.
See also:
List of hospitals in South Africa § Cape Metropole
Groote Schuur Hospital
The
Alexandra Hospital
is a specialist mental health care hospital in Cape Town. It provides care for complex mental health issues and intellectual disability.
268
Groote Schuur Hospital
is a large, government-funded, teaching hospital situated on the slopes of Devil's Peak. It was founded in 1938 and is famous for being the institution where the first human-to-human heart transplant took place. Groote Schuur is the chief academic hospital of the University of Cape Town's medical school, providing tertiary care and instruction in all the major branches of medicine. The hospital underwent major extension in 1984 when two new wings were added.
Helderberg Hospital is a district hospital for the Helderberg basin. Located in Somerset West, it also serves surrounding areas in the Overberg district.
Numerous of South Africa's major private medical services groups operate
hospitals
in the city, including those below.
Mediclinic Group
: 7 facilities (Cape Town, Milnerton, Louis Leipoldt, Constantiaberg, Cape Gate, Durbanville, and Vergelegen)
269
Netcare
: 4 facilities (Christiaan Barnard, UCT Private Academic, Blaawberg, and N1 City)
270
Melomed
: 5 facilities (Gatesville, Bellville, Tokai, Mitchells Plain, and Claremont)
271
Life Healthcare Group
: 3 facilities (Kingsbury, Vincent Pallotti, and Sports Science)
272
Education
edit
University of Cape Town
with the
Devil's Peak
The Cape Town Campus of the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
, with
Table Mountain
in the background
Public primary and secondary schools in Cape Town are run by the
Western Cape Education Department
. This provincial department is divided into seven districts; four of these are "Metropole" districts – Metropole Central, North, South, and East – which cover various areas of the metropolis.
273
There are also many private schools, both religious and secular. Cape Town has a well-developed higher system of
public universities
Cape Town is served by three public universities: the
University of Cape Town
(UCT), the
University of the Western Cape
(UWC) and the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
(CPUT).
Stellenbosch University
, while not based in the metropolitan area itself, has its main campus and administrative section 50 kilometers from Cape Town, and has additional campuses, such as the Tygerberg Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Bellville Business Park, north-west of the city in the town of
Bellville
Both the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University are leading universities in South Africa. This is due in large part to substantial financial contributions made to these institutions by both the public and private sector.
UCT is an
English language
tuition institution. It has over 21,000 students and has an MBA program that was ranked 51st by the Financial Times in 2006.
274
It is also the top-ranked university in Africa, being the only African university to make the world's Top 200 university list at number 146.
275
UCT has its main campus on the mountainside in
Rondebosch
, a predominantly residential suburb in the
Southern Suburbs
region of Cape Town. The university also operates satellite campuses in
Observatory
and
Cape Town CBD
Since the
African National Congress
has become the country's ruling party, some restructuring of Western Cape universities has taken place and as such, traditionally non-white universities have seen increased financing, which has evidently benefitted UWC.
276
277
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology was formed on 1 January 2005, when two separate institutions –
Cape Technikon
and
Peninsula Technikon
– were merged. The new university offers education primarily in English, although one may take courses in any of South Africa's official languages. The institution generally awards the
National Diploma
Students from the universities and high schools are involved in the South African
SEDS
, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. This is the South African SEDS, and there are many SEDS branches in other countries, preparing enthusiastic students and young professionals for the growing Space industry.
278
As well as the universities, there are also several
colleges
in and around Cape Town. Including the
College of Cape Town
, False Bay College and Northlink College. Many students use NSFAS funding to help pay for tertiary education at these TVET colleges.
279
Cape Town has also become a popular
study abroad
destination for many international college students. Many
study abroad providers
offer semester, summer, short-term, and internship programs in partnership with Cape Town universities as a chance for international students to gain intercultural understanding.
Safety and security
edit
Cape Town has multiple
law enforcement
agencies working together to ensure the
laws of South Africa
, as well as the provincial and municipal
bylaws
, are upheld throughout the city. Different agencies have different jurisdictions, granted to them by various levels of government. In recent years, the City of Cape Town and
Western Cape
province have been pushing to gain more independence from the
South African Police Service
, and to instead have full control of its
policing
280
281
In recent years, the city has taken a focused, and exceptionally tough approach towards combatting crime, with positive impacts. The Western Cape's Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety had an annual budget in 2024 of around R800 million, a large portion of which goes to Cape Town. Likewise, the City of Cape Town's Safety and Security Directorate has a healthy annual budget, which totaled around half a billion rand for the 2024 fiscal year.
282
283
Cape Town's law enforcement is overseen by the city's Mayco Member for Safety and Security, the Western Cape Community Safety and Police Oversight
MEC
, and the Western Cape Police Commissioner.
284
285
The agencies working to ensure safety and security in the City of Cape Town are:
The Cape Town Metropolitan Police Department (Metro Police)
edit
See also:
Municipal Police (South Africa)
Cape Town Metro Police officers and a Metro Police vehicle
The Metro Police are responsible for crime prevention, as well as the enforcement of municipal bylaws and traffic laws, conducting autonomous drug- and alcohol-related operations, executing warrants in support of the
South African Police Service
, and conducting visible policing in specific areas. Its special units include:
Gang and Drug Task Team
Tactical Response Unit
Canine Unit
Equestrian Unit
Camera Response Unit
Video Unit
CCTV Unit
Social Crime Prevention Unit
286
In mid-2025, Cape Town rolled out its Neighbourhood Safety Officer (NSO) program. Part of the Metro Police, NSOs are officers dedicated to patrolling specific neighbourhoods across the city. On top of other kinds of law enforcement, the program positions 5 dedicated NSOs per City of Cape Town municipal ward.
287
The Metro Police make use of vehicles including the
Toyota Corolla
for general law enforcement, the
Volkwagen Golf GTI
for the Flying Squad, and the
Toyota Fortuner
for the Highway Patrol.
Traffic Service
edit
Cape Town Traffic Service officer on a motorbike in the
V&A Waterfront
The city's Traffic Service has dedicated officers for improving road safety by providing effective
driving license
services and
traffic
enforcement. The Service employs specially trained peace officers.
While Metro Police can and do also provide traffic-related enforcement, the Traffic Service focuses entirely on such. Cape Town's Traffic Service enforces traffic laws, ensures
roadworthy
compliance of all
motor vehicles
, and provides driving license services. Matters it deals with include
drunk driving
offenses, vehicle impounds, animal impounds, displaced people,
graffiti
enforcement, informal trading,
liquor
enforcement, metal theft,
rail
enforcement, and neighbourhood safety.
288
Traffic Services began using dashboard-mounted cameras (dashcams) in 2023, for added security. Cape Town's Traffic Services operates a specialized Highway Patrol unit, with its own fleet of vehicles that are geared towards maintaining safety on the highways passing through the city.
289
Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP)
edit
LEAP officers are specifically deployed in high-crime areas. They undergo separate training, and exist as an entirely separate police force to Metro Police. However, they work closely with Metro Police, as well as SAPS.
LEAP officers deal with matters including the confiscation of illegal
firearms
, violence prevention,
drug
and liquor confiscations, and anti-
gang
activities.
290
The City of Cape Town partnered with the Western Cape Government to launch LEAP in 2020, as part of the latter's Western Cape Safety Plan (WCSP), which was launched in September 2019.
291
The South African Police Service (SAPS)
edit
SAPS vehicles outside the main entrance to
Parliament
, in the center of Cape Town CBD
SAPS
is the national policing authority in
South Africa
. As such, they have a presence in Cape Town, as with all other major
metropolitan areas
. Their jurisdiction covers the investigation of crimes (which may be handed over to them by the Metro Police). SAPS employs detectives, criminologists, forensic pathologists, and other related experts, as is governed by the
Department of Police
in the national government.
292
SAPS, along with Metro Police members, are held accountable by the
Independent Police Investigative Directorate
, which investigates wrongdoing within the police service across South Africa.
In the City of Cape Town, SAPS makes use of vehicles including the
Toyota Hilux
Toyota Fortuner
, and
Nissan Navara
In early 2025, the
City of Cape Town
announced its intention to merge numerous police forces info a single law enforcement agency.
293
Improvement Districts
edit
A CCID trailer, guard and manager in the city centre providing additional security to the local area.
294
Ratepayers in Cape Town fund a number
Business Improvement Districts
(BID) across the city with the assistance of the City of Cape Town. As of 2025 there were 21 BIDs
295
funded by local ratepayers across the city to provide localised supplementary urban management, communications, and social development services in their respective areas.
296
The largest and oldest such district is the Cape Town
Central City Improvement District
(CCID), founded in 2000. CCID focuses on a roughly 1.6 sqkm area in
Cape Town CBD
, the city's main economic hub.
297
The CCID also employs 12 dedicated Law Enforcement officers to assist with arrests. It is able to obtain access to the City of Cape Town's Strategic Surveillance Unit (SSU) CCTV cameras, to assist with crime prevention efforts.
294
The presence of BIDs like the CCID has been credited with significantly contributing to the general safety and prosperity of the city.
294
298
299
300
Law Enforcement Auxiliary Service (LEAS)
edit
Cape Town's Law Enforcement Auxiliary Service (LEAS) has been operating since 2013, as part of the city's overall public safety program. LEAS comprises around 300 individuals, who volunteer for a minimum of 16 hours per month. LEAS volunteers operate under the supervision of permanent law enforcement officers. Uniformed LEAS officers assist with duties including patrolling (visible policing), enforcing municipal bylaws, and directing traffic. Non-uniformed officers assist with administrative tasks relating to law enforcement.
301
LEAS officers undergo thorough vetting, are divided up between the 4 geographical areas within the metro, and are supported by an Auxiliary Animal Control Unit, Marine Unit, and Rural Safety Unit.
302
Other security measures
edit
The City of Cape Town's Strategic Surveillance Unit (SSU), uses a system of around 2,000
closed circuit television
(CCTV)
cameras
303
throughout the metropolitan area, monitoring suburbs for any suspicious activity, and using CCTV footage in the prosecution of crimes. The CCTV network is used by, among other agencies, Metro Police, LEAP, and SAPS (including for investigations).
Control room
staff for the CCTV network are able to rapidly deploy response teams, ranging from police to emergency services, based on the events occurring. The cameras are therefore useful not only for crime prevention, but also general
public safety
304
282
CCTV camera budgeting falls under the allocations of the Safety and Security Directorate, which also deploys communications equipment for various Cape Town neighbourhood watch organizations. The city's CCTV Cameras are also used for license plate recognition, by means of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) software. This is used by units including the city's Highway Patrol. In 2019, the City spent around R20 million on upgrading this system and purchasing new security vehicles.
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282
Since 2024, Cape Town has also made use of its Eye in the Sky (Eye) Information, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance initiative – an advanced,
drone
-based aerial technology system designed to provide real-time monitoring of activities on the ground. Forming part of a broader push to integrate surveillance technologies into public safety and urban governance, Eye's
unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) have been specially designed for fighting crime, and are considerably advanced as a result.
306
The drones are equipped with infrared cameras, and can detect body heat in cold water, trace residual heat from discharged firearms, and capture the thermal signatures of high-speed vehicles. Furthermore, the drones can fly at very high altitudes, operate for long periods of time, and function in adverse weather conditions.
306
The City uses similar drones for environmental issues, such as mountain fires and illegal marine poaching. Cape Town's Eye drones deliver high-resolution, real-time intelligence to the city's security agencies and emergency response teams, forming an integral part of the city's overall safety and security operations.
Other forms of technology added recently to the city's safety and security arsenal include dashboard-mounted Automated Number Plate Recognition cameras, bodycams for police officers, gunshot detection systems for remote alerts, and handheld digital devices which are linked to the city's Emergency Policing Incident Control (EPIC) system, for fast-tracked incident logging, issuing of fines, and uploading of photographic evidence. Cape Town continues to modernize its policing systems, and in recent years, has spent over R600 million on technological advancements in the security space.
282
Many Cape Town residents have access to additional security in the form of private security subscriptions, from the likes of large companies (with national reach), such as
Fidelity ADT
. These companies provide
armed
response teams for
residential
crime reduction, with private security personnel and vehicles also being stationed around Cape Town neighbourhoods for visible, localized security. ADT also partners with major South African fiber network operator (FNO)
Vumatel
, to monitor areas via CCTV, and some suburbs' residents have arranged for cameras to be installed around their houses for 24/7 surveillance, to increase local security.
Private security vehicles in
Meadowridge
, Cape Town
The city is part of the Public Emergency Call Center (107) network, for crime reporting and response.
307
Cape Town has been a pioneer with policing and security innovations in South Africa. The City runs the country's only police reservist service that is managed by a local government, in the form of the Disaster Volunteers, and the Law Enforcement Auxiliary Service. It was also first to launch specialized policing units including the Gang and Drug Task Team, and the Metal Theft Unit.
307
The city is also the only metropolitan area in South Africa to use gunfire detection systems in high-risk areas, and to effectively implement computer-aided dispatch and integrated spatially enabled resource management through its award-winning EPIC system. Furthermore, Cape Town employs the largest CCTV network out of all South African cities.
307
Energy supply
edit
The
Steenbras Dam
, which is used to generate hydroelectric power for the city
As with many other forms of infrastructure, Cape Town stands out amongst South Africa's metropolitan areas for having a far more developed, stable
energy supply
. The city is home to the country's only nuclear power station -
Koeberg
– as well as numerous other forms of power generating plants. A second nuclear station, situated in Duynefontein (slightly south-east of Koeberg) is planned. The new plant received Environmental Authorization in 2025, and awaits further statutory approvals by the national government.
308
Furthermore, Cape Town uses a system of pumped hydro electricity storage (at
Steenbras
) to supplement its own power generation and avoid up to 2 stages of
load shedding
(power outages), when the rest of the national grid goes down due to
insufficient energy to meet demand
. This results in not only residential homes having more sustained power feeds, but also allows commercial and industrial operations to continue when other major areas in the country are without power, boosting Cape Town's economic output.
Energy infrastructure developments
edit
In January 2024, it was reported that the City of Cape Town intended to leave national energy operator
Eskom
behind, and become completely energy self-sustaining. Through adding 650MW of independent power to the city's grid, Cape Town aims to protect itself against the first 4 stages of Eskom load-shedding by 2026, with the goal of eventually becoming entirely self-sufficient, meeting its own electricity demand. The closing date for tender submissions for this project was 8 April 2024.
309
The City aims to procure power from existing generators, and will follow a two-pronged structure, allowing bidders to supplement dispatchable or reserve power with an optional self-dispatchable component – the latter being at a lower cost than the prevailing Eskom Megaflex Tariff.
309
Cape Town was able to go ahead with this plan after successful advocacy to the national government for the integration of independent power producers (IPPs) into the national grid. The
City of Cape Town
took the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to court, after Nersa said it could not allow for independent power production unless the Ministry made changes.
310
Cape Town's progress with a holistic energy plan, detached from Eskom, was achieved following the gazetting of amendments to the electricity regulations for new electricity generation capacity in 2020, by then-Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe.
310
The new regulations opened the way for municipalities in good financial standing to develop their own power generation projects. President Ramaphosa announced the changes in a speech to Parliament in the same year, which marked the first time municipalities were allowed to buy energy from sources other than state-owned Eskom's monopolistic system.
310
Recent and in-progress power diversification methods include:
309
Private Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG), providing up to 100 MW
Embedded independent power producer
renewable energy
, providing up to 200MW
A dispatchable IPP Program, providing up to 500MW
Wheeling
, providing up to 350MW
City-owned SSEG, providing up to 20MW
The City of Cape Town announced a "Cash for Power" program in 2024, as part of its overall Energy Strategy. The program allows for Cape Town households to earn money for selling excess power they generate via solar panels back to the city's grid – a first for South Africa. The City opened applications for residential households to feed power into the grid by means of grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and bi-directional meters.
311
During the announcement speech,
Cape Town's Mayor
also criticized the
national government
and
Eskom
for not fixing the
load shedding
problems in South Africa, and said that Cape Town would not wait for matters with the national grid to be fixed, with the
City
instead making its own power generation plans.
311
Cape Town has South Africa's most advanced plans to buy power on the open market. In February 2025, the city announced that its Cash for Power program had 1,842 active participants, and had paid out over R55 million to its residents and businesses as part of the program, via credits applied to their municipal energy bills. 1,090 small-scale generators (sellers) were residential customers, and 752 were commercial or industrial. The city also stated that it was on track to double the payouts in the program's second year of operation.
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The City further stated that it had launched an online system for registering solar PV systems for the program, and announced unveiled a cheaper, bi-directional meter to feed power back into the grid. Customers can offset their electricity bills without registering for the Cash for Power program. However, registering allows them to go into a credit status, with the City paying them back for any excess power generation.
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In 2025, the conclusion of a year-long electricity wheeling pilot project was announced. 562,800 kWh of renewable electricity was successfully wheeled during the pilot. Enpower Trading, Etana Energy, and Equites Fund Property were the traders for the process. Cape Town Mayor
Geordin Hill-Lewis
announced that the city would enter the next phase of the project, whereby it would promote the scaling up of power trading across Cape Town's electricity grid, based on bilateral and multilateral trading agreements.
313
The Mayor described the milestone as an exciting leap forward, to diversify Cape Town's electricity supplier base beyond Eskom, and towards a future of decentralized electricity trading in South Africa.
313
In June 2025, the City of Cape Town's Atlantis solar PV plant had finished the installation of around 2,400 solar panels out of a planned 12,850 panels, as part of a R200 million renewable-energy project. City of Cape Town Energy MEC Xanthea Limberg stated that the Atlantis site would operate as a hybrid plant, alongside the city's first utility-scale battery storage operation, totaling 8 MW. There are plans for a 60 MW solar plant to be built at Paardevlei, which is expected to provide sufficient protection from one stage of Eskom load shedding.
314
Cape Town has a goal of net-zero carbon municipal buildings by 2030, as well as a goal for alternative energy to meet 35% of the city's total demand by 2030.
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The city's changes to its power infrastructure represent major changes in South Africa's overall electricity network, including a shift towards green energy, the integration of wheeling processes, a move towards energy diversification as a reaction to rising Eskom tariffs, and shorter-term, flexible contracts in a merchant market providing businesses with easier methods to source stable power.
315
In February 2026,
Cape Town Mayor
Geordin Hill-Lewis
announced that the
City
would that same month begin the process of engaging with a private electricity
trading
company to provide Cape Town with additional energy. The agreement would significantly shift how the city sources its power, breaking the monopoly long-held by national producer Eskom, and allowing Cape Town to appoint a trading company to purchase power from a range of private energy providers.
The City has already entered into numerous supply agreements with various companies that would, following the appointment of the trading company, build the required generation capacity. The Mayor said that using a trading platform alleviates the need to negotiate private power agreements contract by contract directly with providers, streamlining the energy sourcing process for the City.
Energy sourced via the new trading method and private providers is set to be cheaper than that sourced from Eskom, and will also mostly be derived from
renewable
sources, in keeping with Cape Town's overarching net-zero carbon emission goals.
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Water supply
edit
Main article:
Western Cape Water Supply System
Cape Town's water is supplied via the
Western Cape Water Supply System
(WCWSS), a complex water supply system in the
Western Cape
province. The system comprises an interlinked network of six main dams, as well as pipelines, tunnels, distribution networks, and a number of minor dams - some owned and operated by the national
Department of Water and Sanitation
, and some by the
City of Cape Town
metro
government.
317
Cape Town has extremely high-quality drinking water, ranking the best in South Africa as of February 2026, according to
Stats SA
318
Water crisis of 2017 to 2018
edit
Main article:
Cape Town water crisis
Water crisis warning in Cape Town in 2018
The Cape Town water crisis of 2017 to 2018 was a period of severe water shortage in the
Western Cape
region, most notably affecting the
City of Cape Town
. While dam water levels had been declining since 2015, the Cape Town water crisis peaked during mid-2017 to mid-2018 when water levels hovered between 15 and 30 percent of total dam capacity.
In late 2017, there were first mentions of plans for "Day Zero", a shorthand reference for the day when the water level of the major dams supplying the city could fall below 13.5 percent.
319
320
321
"Day Zero" would mark the start of Level 7 water restrictions, when municipal water supplies would be largely switched off and it was envisioned that residents could have to queue for their daily ration of water. If this had occurred, it would have made the City of Cape Town the first major city in the world to run out of water.
322
323
The city of Cape Town implemented significant water restrictions in a bid to curb water usage, and succeeded in reducing its daily water usage by more than half to around 500 million litres (130,000,000 US gal) per day in March 2018.
324
The fall in water usage led the city to postpone its estimate for "Day Zero", and strong rains starting in June 2018 led to dam levels recovering.
325
In September 2018, with dam levels close to 70 percent, the city began easing water restrictions, indicating that the worst of the water crisis was over.
326
Good rains in 2020 effectively broke the drought and resulting water shortage when dam levels reached 95 percent.
327
Concerns have been raised, however, that unsustainble demand and limited water supply could result in future drought events.
328
Water infrastructure developments
edit
The City of Cape Town has mapped out a New Water Program, and Water Strategy, which plan to add 300 million litres of water per day to the city's supply, through measures including desalination, tapping into groundwater, and clearing invasive species.
329
In mid-2024, the Cape Town municipality stated that it was embarking on an infrastructure stability program, which involves refurbishing infrastructure and building new capacity, with funds for the program already having been added to the city's budget.
330
The City of Cape Town announced in 2024 that it planned to build a desalination plant, to further strengthen Cape Town's water supply. A feasibility study was planned to be completed in 2025. The facility is expected to produce between 50 million and 70 million litres of water a day, with a targeted starting date of 2030.
329
The plant will be located on undeveloped land, at the intersection of the R27 and N1, in the vicinity of the
Port of Cape Town
. The city is undertaking an environmental impact assessment process for the project.
330
City of Cape Town Water and Sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien stated that the proposed Paarden Island desalination plant would feature a 22,000 square meter sea water, reverse-osmosis operation, for use by Cape Town households. The estimated capital cost of the plant was roughly R5 billion, excluding VAT, and will be funded through the city's water tariff.
329
Future infrastructure developments
edit
As part of Cape Town's Vision 2050 project, the City aims to significantly upgrade its infrastructure. The 25-year project, unveiled by the City in mid-2025, was opened for public comment for a period of around 2 months. At the time, Cape Town's Mayor stated that the project's overarching goal was for Cape Town to remain a, "future-fit city of opportunities for all". 75% of the project's goals will directly benefit lower-income households.
331
Some of Vision 2050's aims include:
331
332
Public transport accounting for 75% of all trips, with no resident spending more than 10% of their income on commuting.
35% of electricity obtained from alternative sources by 2030, supported by grid upgrades.
25% of water obtained from non-surface sources by 2040.
50,000 new housing opportunities created annually, through both land releases and private-sector partnerships.
Taking over passenger rail from the national government, to revive it as the city's transport backbone.
Expanding the city's policing powers to combat crime more effectively. This includes Smart Policing that is data and tech-driven.
Diverting 70% of waste from landfills through methods including recycling and better waste management.
Increased use of digital technology and artificial intelligence for better governance and improved communication with residents.
Improved disaster risk capacity to deal with climate challenges.
Biodiversity protections, and increasing annual tree planting rates to plant 100,000 trees by 2050. This is in line with the city's Urban Forest Policy.
A 120% increase in the city's gross economic output by 2050.
Transport
edit
Air
edit
Cape Town International Airport
's terminal building, with
Airlink
planes in front
Cape Town International Airport
serves both domestic and international flights.
333
It is the second-largest airport in South Africa and serves as a major gateway for travellers to the Cape region. Cape Town has regularly scheduled services to
Southern Africa
East Africa
Mauritius
Middle East
Far East
Europe
Brazil
and the
United States
as well as eleven domestic destinations.
334
As tourism numbers increased in the lead-up to the tournament of the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, Cape Town International Airport opened a brand new central terminal building that was developed to handle an expected increase in air traffic.
335
Other renovations include several large new parking garages, a revamped domestic departure terminal, a new Bus Rapid Transit system station and a new double-decker road system. The airport's cargo facilities are also being expanded and several large empty plots are being developed into
office space
and hotels.
Cape Town is one of five internationally recognised
Antarctic gateway cities
with transportation connections. Since 2021, commercial flights have operated from Cape Town to
Wolf's Fang Runway
, Antarctica.
336
The Cape Town International Airport was among the winners of the World Travel Awards for being Africa's leading airport.
337
Cape Town International Airport is located 18
km from the
Central Business District
338
A second airport has been proposed to serve Cape Town. As of 2025,
Cape Winelands Airport
, currently a private airfield, is undergoing planning for redevelopment. It is situated near
Durbanville
, in Cape Town's
Northern Suburbs
. If approved and completed, it will become the city's first private airport, and aims to focus on domestic travel, increase Cape Town's global competitiveness as a travel destination, and serve as a backup aviation hub for Cape Town International.
339
CWA's redevelopment is financially backed by South Africa's largest
real estate investment trust
(REIT),
Growthpoint Properties
, and the chosen construction contractor is the country's largest of its kind,
WBHO
. The airport aims to be operational by early 2028, and accommodate over 5 million passengers annually by 2050.
340
Sea
edit
The
Port of Cape Town
is a major transport node in
Africa
. In addition to moving freight, it also hosts cruise ships, and serves as a major repair site for both ships and oil rigs
Cape Town has a long tradition as a port city, and its role as a re-provisioning stop at the midpoint of the
Cape Route
gained it the nicknames "Tavern of the Seas" and "Tavern of the Indian Ocean".
341
The
Port of Cape Town
, the city's main port, is in Table Bay directly to the north of the CBD.
The port is a hub for ships in the southern Atlantic: it is located along one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world, and acts as a stopover point for goods en route to or from Latin America and Asia. It is also an entry point into the South African market.
342
It is the second-busiest container port in South Africa after
Durban
. In 2004, it handled 3,161 ships and 9.2
million tonnes of cargo.
343
Simon's Town
Harbour on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula is the main operational base of the
South African Navy
Until the 1970s the city was served by the
Union Castle Line
with service to the United Kingdom and St Helena.
344
The
RMS
St Helena
provided passenger and cargo service between Cape Town and
St Helena
until the opening of
St Helena Airport
345
The cargo vessel M/V
Helena
, under AW Shipping Management, takes a limited number of passengers,
346
between Cape Town and St Helena and
Ascension Island
on its voyages.
347
Multiple vessels also take passengers to and from
Tristan da Cunha
, inaccessible by aircraft, to and from Cape Town.
348
In addition, NSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft takes passengers on its cargo service to the
Canary Islands
and
Hamburg
Germany
346
Rail
edit
Metrorail
train near
Kalk Bay
station.
The
Shosholoza Meyl
is the passenger rail operations of
Spoornet
and operates one long-distance passenger rail service from Cape Town as of 2024: a weekly service to and from
Johannesburg
via
Kimberley
. These trains terminate at
Cape Town railway station
and make a stop at
Bellville
. Cape Town also terminates 2 luxury tourist train routes as of 2024 operated by the
Ceres Rail Company
, traveling from the
Waterfront
to
Simon's Town
and
Grabouw
respectively.
Metrorail
operates a
commuter rail
service in Cape Town and the surrounding area. The Metrorail network consists of 96 stations throughout the suburbs and outskirts of Cape Town.
Road
edit
Cape Town is the origin of three
national routes
("N" routes), namely the N1, N2, and N7.
The
N1
begins at the foreshore area near the Cape Town city centre and runs east-north-east as a freeway through the towns of
Goodwood
Parow
Bellville
Brackenfell
and
Kraaifontein
before continuing towards
Paarl
. It connects Cape Town to major cities further inland, namely
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
, and
Pretoria
349
An older at-grade road, the
R101
, runs parallel to the N1 from Bellville to
Worcester
349
The
N2
begins at the foreshore area near the Cape Town city centre and runs east-south-east through
Mowbray
Khayelitsha
Macassar
and
Somerset West
before leaving the municipality as the
Sir Lowry's Pass
, connecting with coastal cities to the east, including
Mossel Bay
George
Port Elizabeth
East London
and
Durban
349
An older at-grade road, the
R102
, runs parallel to the N1 initially, before veering south-east at Bellville, to join the N2 at Somerset West via the towns of
Kuilsrivier
and
Eersterivier
349
The
N7
originates from the N1 at Wingfield Interchange near
Acacia Park
and
Edgemead
. It heads northwards, initially as a highway, but becomes an at-grade road from the intersection with the
M12
onwards. It follows the Atlantic coast northwards towards
Malmesbury
Clanwilliam
Vredendal
Springbok
and the border with
Namibia
349
The
N2
as it enters
Cape Town CBD
There are also a number of
provincial routes
linking Cape Town with surrounding areas. The
R27
originates from the N1 near the Foreshore and runs north parallel to the N7, but nearer to the coast. It passes through the suburbs of
Milnerton
Table View
and
Bloubergstrand
and links the city to the West Coast, ending at the town of
Velddrif
349
The
R44
enters the east of the metro from the north, from
Stellenbosch
. It connects Stellenbosch to Somerset West, then crosses the N2 to
Strand
and
Gordon's Bay
. It exits the metro heading south hugging the coast, leading to the towns of
Betty's Bay
and
Kleinmond
349
There are also a number of
regional routes
("R" routes) in the area. The
R300
is an expressway linking the N1 at
Brackenfell
to the N2 near
Mitchells Plain
and the
Cape Town International Airport
349
The
R302
runs from the R102 in Bellville, heading north across the N1 through
Durbanville
before leaving the metro to reach
Malmesbury
349
The
R304
enters the northern limits of the metro from Stellenbosch, running north-north-west before veering west to cross the N7 at
Philadelphia
to end at
Atlantis
at a junction with the
R307
349
This R307 starts north of
Koeberg
from the R27 and, after meeting the R304, continues north to
Darling
349
The
R310
originates from
Muizenberg
and runs along the coast, to the south of Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha, before veering north-east, crossing the N2 west of Macassar, and exiting the metro heading to Stellenbosch.
349
Road infrastructure in the suburb of
Dreyersdal
Cape Town, like most South African cities, uses
Metropolitan
or "M" routes for important intra-city routes, a layer below National (N) roads and Regional (R) routes. Each city's M roads are independently numbered. Most are at-grade roads. The
M3
splits from the N2 and runs to the south along the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, connecting the
CBD
with
Muizenberg
. Except for a section between Rondebosch and Newlands that has at-grade intersections, this route is a highway. The
M5
splits from the N1 further east than the M3, and links the Cape Flats to the CBD. It is a highway as far as the interchange with the M68 at Ottery, before continuing as an at-grade road. Cape Town has the worst traffic congestion in
South Africa
as of 2015.
350
351
Licensing
edit
Vehicles registered in the City of Cape Town metro use
license plates
denoting the subdivision of registration, from a group allocated by the
provincial government
. Due to population spread, most plates use "CA", while newer vehicles in Cape Town use "CAA", which was introduced in April 2019. Other regions include "CY" for
Durbanville
and surrounds, "CF" for
Kuils River
and surrounds, and "CFM" for
Somerset West
and surrounds. As with the rest of the
Western Cape
province, and as opposed to the original letter-number plate format, the most recent license plates issued in Cape Town use the format of two letters, two figures, and two letters (in any sequence), followed by "WC" (for Western Cape).
352
In terms of
driver's licensing
, Cape Town, and the
Western Cape
province, are significantly more advanced than the rest of South Africa. In May 2025, the Western Cape launched a digital
learner's license
testing system, the goal of which was to replace the traditional pen and paper test, reduce corruption, and deliver faster and more accurate results.
353
In September 2025, Cape Town launched its drive through driver's license renewal system, with a facility in
Brackenfell
. The system allows for rapid renewal (in under 5 minutes), without driver's leaving their cars. Renewals can be sped up further if driver's have received an SMS renewal confirmation, and show it at the drive through. The first facility is
cashless
, and operates Monday through Saturday.
354
Buses
edit
City-owned MyCiTi and privately-owned Golden Arrow both operate scheduled, metro-wide bus services. Several other companies run long-distance bus services between Cape Town and other South African cities.
Golden Arrow
edit
Golden Arrow
electric bus
, by BYD, in Kirstenhof, Cape Town
Golden Arrow Bus Services
(GABS) provides commuter bus services throughout a large portion of Cape Town, and operates a fleet of around 1,200 electric and diesel buses on 1,300 routes, with a daily ridership of around 220,000 people.
355
The network uses an
NFC
Gold Card for cashless payments, and offers discounted fares for weekly and monthly passes, as well as for students and pensioners.
356
GABS operates 7 hubs, situated across the
City of Cape Town
357
Golden Arrow was the first bus operator in South Africa to roll out
electric buses
, via a partnership with BYD. The first fleet members entered operation in 2024, with more launched in 2025, alongside an expanded charging network.
358
359
MyCiTi
edit
Main article:
MyCiTi
MyCiTi
station and bus
The MyCiTi
bus rapid transit
(BRT) system is extensive, and operated directly by the
City of Cape Town
. It forms a major part of the city's overall public transit system.
360
The system has a fleet of 223
electric
and
diesel
buses, of various sizes. They operate between 42 stations, and around 1,000 stops throughout Cape Town.
361
The service operates on a combination of dedicated
bus lanes
(painted red and featuring dedicated bus traffic signals), and traditional, mixed-use roadways.
Stations feature free Wi-Fi, enclosed waiting areas, and off-grid power. MyCiTi requires cashless fare payment using mobile
tap-to-pay
, or the company's
EMV
-compliant card, called myconnect.
The MyCiTi BRT system is being rolled out across four phases. As of 2026, Phase 1A, 1B, and the N2 Corridor have been completed, and Phase 2A is underway.
362
Phase 2A is the largest investment in public transit by any metro in South Africa in history, and features the construction of an electric bus charging depot, as well as South Africa's first elevated traffic circle.
363
A procurement agreement has been signed with
Volvo
Bus Southern Africa for electric buses, with initial deliveries scheduled for 2027.
364
Taxis
edit
A fleet of privately owned taxis in
Camps Bay
Cape Town has various kinds of taxis available, including those obtained through
ride-hailing
(app-based) services such as
Bolt
and
Uber
, as well as traditional metered taxies.
The
Western Cape
Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) issues ride-hailing licenses for Cape Town, which have expiry dates and need to be renewed. They are processed in the order they are received, and the PRE ensures drivers are operating legally. As of mid-2025, the city has 5,494 registered ride-hailing licenses.
365
Traditional taxis are either
metered taxis
or
minibus taxis
. Metered taxis can be found at transport hubs as well as other tourist establishments, while minibus taxis can be found at taxi ranks, and, commonly, travelling along main streets.
366
Minibus taxis can be hailed from the road.
367
Cape Town metered taxi cabs mostly operate in CBD and Cape Town International Airport areas. Large companies that operate fleets of cabs can be reached by phone and are cheaper than the single operators that apply for hire from taxi ranks and
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront
There are about 1,000 meter taxis in Cape Town. Their rates vary from R8 per kilometre to about R15 per kilometre. The larger taxi companies in Cape Town are Excite Taxis, Cabnet and Intercab and single operators are reachable by cellular phone. The seven seated Toyota Avanza are the most popular with larger Taxi companies. Meter cabs are mostly used by tourists and are safer to use than minibus taxis.
citation needed
Minibus taxis are the standard form of transport for the majority of the population who cannot afford private vehicles.
368
Although essential, these taxis are often poorly maintained and are frequently not road-worthy. These taxis make frequent unscheduled stops to pick up passengers, which can cause accidents.
369
370
With the high demand for transport by the working class of South Africa, minibus taxis are often filled over their legal passenger allowance. Minibuses are generally owned and operated in fleets.
371
Culture
edit
Groot Constantia
, an example of Cape Dutch architecture.
Mostert's Mill
in Cape Town.
Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density of
Cape Dutch
style buildings in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany, France and Indonesia, is most visible in
Constantia
, the
old government buildings
in the Central Business District, and along
Long Street
372
373
The only complete windmill in South Africa is
Mostert's Mill
Mowbray
. It was built in 1796 and restored in 1935 and again in 1995.
Cape Town was named the
World Design Capital
for 2014 by the
International Council of Societies of Industrial Design
374
Cape Town is also recognized as a "
Design City
" by
UNESCO
's
Creative Cities Network
. The
Artscape Theatre Centre
is the largest performing arts venue in Cape Town.
375
Cape Town Minstrel Carnival
(2017).
Holi
festival at the
Grand Parade
The annual
Cape Town Minstrel Carnival
, also known by its Afrikaans name of
Kaapse Klopse
, is a large
minstrel
festival held annually on 2 January or
"Tweede Nuwe Jaar"
(Second New Year). Competing teams of minstrels parade in brightly coloured costumes, performing
Cape Jazz
, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments.
The city also encloses the 36 hectare
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
that contains protected natural forest and
fynbos
along with a variety of animals and birds. There are over 7,000 species in cultivation at Kirstenbosch, including many rare and threatened species of the
Cape Floristic Region
. In 2004 this Region, including Kirstenbosch, was declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
376
Whale watching
is popular amongst tourists:
southern right whales
and
humpback whales
are seen off the coast during the breeding season (August to November) and
Bryde's whales
and
orca
can be seen any time of the year.
377
The nearby town of
Hermanus
is known for its Whale Festival, but whales can also be seen in False Bay.
377
Heaviside's dolphins
are endemic to the area and can be seen from the coast north of Cape Town;
dusky dolphins
live along the same coast and can occasionally be seen from the ferry to Robben Island.
377
Cuisine
edit
See also:
South African cuisine
A gatsby sandwich, freshly prepared
Food originating from or synonymous with Cape Town includes the savoury sweet spiced meat dish
Bobotie
that dates from the 17th century. The
Gatsby
, a sandwich filled with
slap chips
and other toppings, was first served in 1976 in the suburb of
Athlone
and is also synonymous with the city.
378
The
koe'sister
is a traditional
Cape Malay
pastry described as a cinnamon infused dumpling with a cake-like texture, finished off with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut.
379
Malva pudding
(sometimes known as Cape Malva pudding) is a sticky sweet dessert often served with hot custard is also associated with the city and dates back to the 17th century.
380
A related dessert dish,
Cape Brandy Pudding
, is also associated with the city and surrounding region.
381
Cape Town is also the home of the
South African wine
industry with the first wine produced in the country being bottled in the city; a number of notable wineries still exist in the city including
Groot Constantia
and
Klein Constantia
The city has gained international recognition for its
pizza
scene. In 2025, then-new, family-owned restaurant NOVO, based in
Mowbray
, ranked in publication
Time Out'
s Top 20 Pizzas globally. It did so for its "The Fellini" creation.
382
In the 2026 ranking from the same publication,
Woodstock
-based establishment Pizza Connection ranked 11th on the list, for its "The Capetonian" pizza.
383
Coffee culture in Cape Town
is thriving, with many independent coffeehouses and cafe chains with locations across the city. All four of South Africa's largest cafe chains,
Vida e Caffè
Seattle Coffee Company
WCafe
, and
Bootlegger Coffee Company
, are headquartered in Cape Town. Furthermore, the city is home to 10 roasteries.
Cape Town is considered one of the best cities in the world for coffee,
384
385
and is known as an international coffee capital.
386
387
In 2024, Cape Town was ranked as the world's 9th best city for coffee by US
Food & Wine Magazine
384
Truth Coffee, situated in
Cape Town CBD
, was voted Best Coffee Shop in the World in 2015 and 2016 by the UK's
Daily Telegraph
387
and Espresso Lab in
Woodstock
was voted the 11th best coffee shop in the world, and the best in Africa, in 2025.
388
Media
edit
A news van owned by
Cape Town TV
outside the
Houses of Parliament
Several newspapers, magazines and printing facilities have their offices in the city.
Independent News and Media
publishes the major English language papers in the city, the
Cape Argus
and the
Cape Times
Naspers
, the largest media conglomerate in South Africa, publishes
Die Burger
, the major Afrikaans language paper.
389
Cape Town has many local community
newspapers
. Some of the largest community newspapers in English are the
Athlone News
from
Athlone
, the
Atlantic Sun
, the
Constantiaberg Bulletin
from
Constantiaberg
, the
City Vision
from
Bellville
, the
False Bay Echo
from False Bay, Bolander (formerly known as the Helderberg Sun) from
Helderberg
, the
Plainsman
from Michell's Plain, the
Sentinel News
from Hout Bay, the
Southern Mail
from the Southern Peninsula, the
Southern Suburbs Tatler
from the
Southern Suburbs
Table Talk
from Table View and
Tygertalk
from Tygervalley/Durbanville. Afrikaans language community newspapers include the
Landbou-Burger
and the
Tygerburger
Vukani
, based in the Cape Flats, is published in
Xhosa
390
Cape Town is a centre for major broadcast media with several radio stations that only broadcast within the city.
94.5 Kfm
(94.5
MHz
FM) and
Good Hope FM
(94–97
MHz
FM
) mostly play
pop music
. Heart FM (104.9
MHz FM), the former P4 Radio, plays
jazz
and
R&B
, while
Fine Music Radio
(101.3 FM) plays
classical music
and jazz, and Magic Music Radio
391
(828
kHz
MW) plays adult contemporary and classic rock from the '80s, '90s and '00s.
392
Bush Radio
is a community radio station (89.5
MHz FM). The
Voice of the Cape
(95.8
MHz FM) and
Cape Talk
(567
kHz
MW
) are the major
talk radio stations
in the city.
393
Bokradio (98.9
MHz FM) is an Afrikaans music station.
394
The
University of Cape Town
also runs its own radio station,
UCT Radio
(104.5
MHz FM).
The
SABC
has a small presence in the city, with satellite studios located at
Sea Point
e.tv
has a greater presence, with a large complex located at Longkloof Studios in
Gardens
M-Net
is not well represented with infrastructure within the city.
Cape Town TV
is a local TV station, supported by numerous organisation and focusing mostly on documentaries.
Numerous productions companies and their support industries are located in the city, mostly supporting the production of overseas commercials, model shoots, TV-series and movies.
395
The local media infrastructure remains primarily in Johannesburg.
Hiking and trails
edit
Lion's Head
hike, with
Table Mountain
in the background
Smitswinkel Bay, between
Simon's Town
and
Cape Point
Cape Town is home to an array of scenic
nature trails
and
hiking
routes, which are frequented by locals. Various trails offer options for walking, running, hiking, climbing, cycling, and
dog
-walking. Trails in public parks are maintained directly by the
City of Cape Town
, while many hiking trails are inside areas that are under
SANParks
' jurisdiction.
Popular hiking routes include Lion's Head, Kalk Bay Peak (in Silvermine), Elsie's Peak, Constantia Nek, the Pipe Track, Platteklip Gorge, Maclear's Beacon, Devil's Peak, Kasteelspoort, Tranquillity Cracks, Kloof Corner, Newlands Forest, Skeleton Gorge, Orange Kloof, Noordhoek Panorama Circuit, Noordhoek Peak, Chapman's Peak, Lighthouse Keeper's Trail, Farmer's Cliffs Trail, Tygerberg Nature Reserve, and Blaauwberg Nature Reserve.
396
Sport
edit
Cape Town Stadium
in
Green Point
Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Stadium
Cape Town's most popular sports by participation are
cricket
soccer
swimming
, and
rugby
397
In rugby union, Cape Town is the home of the
Western Province
side, who play at
Cape Town Stadium
and compete in the
Currie Cup
In addition, Western Province players (along with some from Wellington's
Boland Cavaliers
) form the
Stormers
in the
United Rugby Championship
competition. Cape Town has also been a host city for both the
1995 Rugby World Cup
and
2010 FIFA World Cup
, and annually hosts the Africa leg of the
World Rugby 7s
398
It has hosted the
2023 Netball World Cup
399
Association football
, which is mostly known as
soccer
in South Africa, is also popular.
Cape Town City
played in the top tier
Premiership
until their relegation at the end of the
2024–25 season
. A second major club,
Cape Town Spurs
, were relegated from the second tier
National First Division
at the end of the
2024–25 season
Cape Town also hosted several the matches in the
2010 FIFA World Cup
including a semi-final,
400
held in South Africa. The Mother City built a new 70,000-seat stadium (
Cape Town Stadium
) in the Green Point area.
In
cricket
, the
Cape Cobras
represent Cape Town at the
Newlands Cricket Ground
. The team is the result of an amalgamation of the
Western Province Cricket
and
Boland Cricket
teams. They take part in the
Supersport
and
Standard Bank Cup Series
. The Newlands Cricket Ground regularly hosts international matches.
Cape Town has had Olympic aspirations. For example, in 1996, Cape Town was one of the five candidate cities shortlisted by the
IOC
to launch official candidatures to host the
2004 Summer Olympics
. Although the Games ultimately went to
Athens
, Cape Town came in third place.
There has been some speculation that Cape Town was seeking the South African Olympic Committee's nomination to be South Africa's bid city for the
2020 Summer Olympic Games
401
That was quashed when the
International Olympic Committee
awarded the 2020 Games to Tokyo.
The city of Cape Town has vast experience in hosting major national and international sports events. The
Cape Town Cycle Tour
is the world's largest individually timed
road cycling race
– and the first event outside Europe to be included in the
International Cycling Union's Golden Bike series
. It sees over 35,000 cyclists tackling a 109 km (68 mi) route around Cape Town.
The
Absa Cape Epic
is the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world. Some notable events hosted by Cape Town have included the
1995 Rugby World Cup
2003 ICC Cricket World Cup
, and World Championships in various sports such as athletics, fencing, weightlifting, hockey, cycling, canoeing, gymnastics and others.
Cape Town was also a host city to the
2010 FIFA World Cup
from 11 June to 11 July 2010, further enhancing its profile as a major events city. It was also one of the host cities of the
2009 Indian Premier League
cricket tournament.
The Mother City has also played host to the
Africa leg
of the annual
World Rugby 7s
event since 2015; for nine seasons, from 2002 until 2010, the event was staged in
George
in the Western Cape, before moving to
Port Elizabeth
for the
2011 edition
, and then to Cape Town in 2015. The event usually takes place in mid-December, and is hosted at the
Cape Town Stadium
in Green Point.
402
There are several golf courses in Cape Town. The Clovelly Country Club and Metropolitan Golf Club have 18 holes.
403
Water-based activities
edit
Kitesurfing
in
Table Bay
The coastline of Cape Town is relatively long, and the varied exposure to weather conditions makes it fairly common for water conditions to be conducive to recreational scuba diving at some part of the city's coast. There is considerable variation in the underwater environment and regional ecology as there are dive sites on reefs and wrecks on both sides of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, split between two coastal marine ecoregions by the Cape Peninsula, and also variable by depth zone.
Surfing in
Sandy Bay
False Bay is open to the south, and the prevailing open ocean swell arrives from the southwest, so the exposure varies considerably around the coastline. The inshore bathymetry near Cape Point is shallow enough for a moderate amount of refraction of long period swell, but deep enough to have less effect on short period swell, and acts as a filter to pass mainly the longer swell components to the Western shores, although they are significantly attenuated.
The eastern shores get more of the open ocean spectrum, and this results in very different swell conditions between the two sides at any given time. The fetch is generally too short for southeasterly winds to produce good surf. There are more than 20
named breaks in False Bay
The north-wester can have a long fetch and can produce large waves, but they may also be associated with local wind and be very poorly sorted. The Atlantic coast is exposed to the full power of the South-westerly swell produced by the westerly winds of the southern ocean, often a long way away, so the swell has time to separate into similar wavelengths, and there are some world class big wave breaks among the named breaks of the Atlantic shore.
404
405
406
Further information on the racing sailboat built in Cape Town:
Cape 31
In the 1950s the city was part of four editions of the famous
Algiers-Cape Town Rally
, during the pioneer years of trans-Africa rallying and motor exploration. The closing of the road to the newly founded
Zaire
caused the city to be dropped from the traject.
407
Further information on Water-based activities at Zeekoevlei:
Zeekoevlei
Cape Town is also home to
Zeekoevlei
, a fresh water lake near the False Bay coast. Its primary use is for sailing and rowing. Zeekoevlei is the home of the
Zeekoevlei Yacht Club
, as well as a hand full of local schools and university rowing clubs, such as
SACS
RBHS
Bishops
, and
UCT
Libraries
edit
Cape Town is home to 102 public libraries (101 fixed and 1 satellite location), operated directly by the
City of Cape Town
. Visitors can borrow items by registering for a library card.
408
The city's libraries loan out books, provide access to electronic resources (via free-to-use computers connected to the internet), and facilitate community programs and events.
Located in Parade Street, close to the Cape Town City Hall, in
Cape Town CBD
Central Library Cape Town
is a particularly old library. Established in 1954, the library hosts books in sections including children, teens, adult, art,
LGBTQIA+
, and local history. The building also houses around 100 public access computers.
409
The library contains around 200,000 items (including books, magazines, and DVDs), and has around 5,000 weekly visitors.
410
In 2025, the City launched a fully-digital library service, which includes access to e-books and an online catalogue that features modern and classic literature. The new system also allows for online application of library cards, to reduce queuing time at physical libraries.
411
Museums and theaters
edit
The main entrance to the
Artscape Theater
in
Cape Town CBD
Cape Town has a rich history, and several notable cultural attractions. The
District Six
museum provides the public with information about the history of the
Cape Colored
community and the District Six area. The
Iziko South African Museum
, located in
Cape Town CBD
, houses important African zoologic, palaeontologic, and archaeologic collections. Located on the same site as the Iziko Museum is the South African National Gallery.
Local theaters include the Artscape Theater, Baxter Theater (owned by the University of Cape Town), and the District Six Homecoming Center.
Car culture
edit
The
Franschhoek Motor Museum
, just outside Cape Town
Cape Town has a strong
automotive culture
, with numerous annual events and digital communities focused on cars. In-person events include Cars & Coffee, Speed Classic Cape Town, the V&A Waterfront Motorshow, the Classic Car and Bike Show, the Cape Town Motor Show, Things of Beauty, and Cape WheelFest. The city also hosts The Cape 1,000 grand touring rally. The Tannery Car Show takes place in nearby
Wellington
Automotive
museums
in and around the city include the
Franschhoek Motor Museum
in
Franschhoek
, Wijnland Auto Museum in
Kraaifontein
412
and Tannery Cars, based in Old Tannery, in Wellington.
413
Other
edit
Within
Cape Town CBD
, other cultural attractions include the
Houses of Parliament
(the seat of the South African national government), the Planetarium, and the
Company's Garden
(South Africa's oldest park).
Notable people
edit
Rosenkowitz sextuplets
, the first ever set of
sextuplets
to survive infancy
See also
edit
South Africa portal
Cape Colony
– British colony from 1806 to 1910
Timeline of Cape Town
– Chronological listing of notable events
Western Cape
– Province of South Africa
Notes
edit
It is estimated that at least 90% of Capetonians can speak English, even though less than 30% speak it as their native language.
Afrikaans
Kaapstad
[ˈkɑːpstat]
Xhosa
iKapa
[íkáːpa]
Khoekhoe
ǁHui!gaeb
lit.
the place where the clouds meet
; also known as "the Mother City".
12
13
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See also
edit
Cape Town Tourism
– the city's official destination marketing organization
External links
edit
Cape Town
at Wikipedia's
sister projects
Media
from Commons
News
from Wikinews
Travel information
from Wikivoyage
Wikisource
has the text of the
1911
Encyclopædia Britannica
article "
Cape Town
".
Official website
of the City of Cape Town
Official website
of the Western Cape
Official website
of Cape Town Tourism
Cape Town
City of Cape Town
Natural environment
Cape Flats
Cape Peninsula
Geology
Helderberg
Bays
Bantry Bay
Camps Bay
False Bay
Gordon's Bay
Granger Bay
Hout Bay
Simon's Bay
Smitswinkel Bay
Table Bay
Beaches
Bloubergstrand
Boulders Beach
Camps Bay
Clifton
Glen Beach
Melkbosstrand
Muizenberg
Sandy Bay
Strand
Hills
Blaauwberg
Skapenberg
Signal Hill
Tygerberg
Mountains
Chapman's Peak
Constantiaberg
Devil's Peak
Helderberg
Hottentots Holland Mountains
Lion's Head
Table Mountain
Twelve Apostles
Islands
Duiker Island
Robben Island
Seal Island
Headlands
Cape of Good Hope
Cape Point
Miller's Point
Rivers and wetlands
Bokramspruit
Buffels River
Eerste River
Kuils River
Diep River
Else River
Hout Bay River
Krom River
Lourens River
Modder River
Salt River
Black River
Elsieskraal River
Liesbeek River
Sand River
Schusters River
Silvermine River
Sir Lowry’s Pass River
Sout River
Steenbras River
Zandvlei
Zeekoevlei
Climate
and weather
Cape Town water crisis
Cape Doctor
Berg wind
World heritage sites
Cape Floristic Region
Table Mountain National Park
Robben Island
Biodiversity
of Cape Town
Nature reserves in Cape Town
Helderberg Marine Protected Area
Robben Island Marine Protected Area
Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area
Vegetation
types
Atlantis Sand Fynbos
Boland Granite Fynbos
Cape Flats Dune Strandveld
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos
Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetland
Cape Winelands Shale Fynbos
Hangklip Sand Fynbos
Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos
Lourensford Alluvium Fynbos
Peninsula Granite Fynbos
Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos
Southern Afrotemperate Forest
Peninsula Shale Renosterveld
Swartland Alluvium Fynbos
Swartland Shale Renosterveld
Parks and
gardens
Arderne Gardens
Company's Garden
Choo choo park
De Waal Park
Green Point Common
Helderberg Nature Reserve
Keurboom Park
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Rondebosch Common
Rondebosch Park
Tokai Arboretum
Tokai Park
Westridge Gardens
Wynberg Park
Nature reserves
Blaauwberg Conservation Area
Bracken Nature Reserve
Cecilia
De Hel Nature Area
Dick Dent Bird Sanctuary
Die Oog Conservation Area
Diep River Fynbos Corridor
Durbanville Nature Reserve
Edith Stephens Wetland Park
Glencairn Wetland
Harmony Flats Nature Reserve
Helderberg Nature Reserve
Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area
Koeberg Nature Reserve
Kogelberg Nature Reserve
Lourens River Protected Natural Environment
Lower Silvermine River Wetlands
Macassar Dunes Conservation Area
Mamre Nature Garden
Meadowridge Common
Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve
Raapenberg Bird Sanctuary
Rietvlei Wetland Reserve
Rondebosch Common
Rondevlei Nature Reserve
Silwerboomkloof Natural Heritage Site
Tygerberg Nature Reserve
Uitkamp Wetlands
Witzands Aquifer Conservation Area
Wolfgat Nature Reserve
Zoarvlei Wetlands
Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve
Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve
Communities
Atlantic Seaboard
Bakoven
Bantry Bay
Camps Bay
Clifton
Fresnaye
Green Point
Llandudno
Mouille Point
Sea Point
Three Anchor Bay
Blaauwberg
Atlantis
Bloubergstrand
Brooklyn
Century City
Dunoon
Duynefontein
Joe Slovo Park
Killarney Gardens
Mamre
Melkbosstrand
Milnerton
Montague Gardens
Paarden Eiland
Parklands
Rugby
Summer Greens
Table View
West Beach
Ysterplaat
Cape Flats
(Klipfontein district)
Athlone
Belgravia
Bishop Lavis
Crawford
Crossroads
Gugulethu
Hanover Park
Heideveld
Kalksteenfontein
Kenwyn
Lansdowne
Lavender Hill
Manenberg
Matroosfontein
Nyanga
Ottery
Philippi
Browns Farm
Philippi Horticultural
Philippi East
Samora Machel
Rondebosch East
Rylands
Strandfontein
Valhalla Park
Khayelitsha
Bongweni
Harare/Holimisa
Ikwezi Park
Mandela Park
Griffiths Mxenge
QQ Section
Silver Town
Victoria Merge
Mitchells Plain
Rocklands
Westridge
Portlands
Tafelsig
Eastridge
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Kaapse Klopse
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Bertram House
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Of historical interest:
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Tot Nut van het Algemeen
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South African College of Music
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Mbombela (Mpumalanga)
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Polokwane (Limpopo)
Province
of the
Western Cape
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Cape Town
Population:
7,433,020
2022
Land area:
129,462 km
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Cape Town
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