Western Cape

The Western Cape Province of South Africa is on the southwestern coast of South Africa. It is the fourth largest of the South African provinces and is the province with the third most residents.

The province borders the Northern Cape Province and the Eastern Cape Province. The largest cities in this province are Cape Town and George. The popular Garden Route is also in the Western Cape Province.

Read more about South Africa’s 9 provinces here.

The Regions of the Western Cape

For local government purposes, the Western Cape Province is divided into one metropolitan municipality, the City of Cape Town, and five district municipalities. The five district municipalities consist of 24 local municipalities.

City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is on the southwestern side of the Western Cape Province. It is the smallest of the regions of the Western Cape with the highest population. In addition to the oldest buildings in South Africa, Cape Town offers many wonderful outdoor attractions.

Cape Winelands District Municipality

The seat of the Cape Winelands District Municipality is in Worcester. This district is the third-largest of the districts in the Western Cape, with the third-largest population of the districts. The Winelands is popular with tourists and features a variety of wineries in the towns of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.

Central Karoo District Municipality

The Central Karoo District Municipality is the largest of the districts with the lowest population. Most people experience the Karoo when they drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town and stop halfway at places like Beaufort-West.

Garden Route District Municipality

The Garden Route District Municipality is home to the popular Garden Route, one of the most beautiful road trips to do in South Africa. The Garden Route District’s largest city, and one of the oldest towns in South Africa, is George. Other towns in this district include Knysna, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay.

Overberg District Municipality.

Bredasdorp is the seat of the Overberg District Municipality. The Overberg offers stunning mountain ranges, fynbos, coastal vistas, rolling wheat, and canola fields. You can find the beautiful Clarens Drive and the Stony Point penguins in the Overberg District. Towns in the Overberg include Strand, Swellendam, Gordon’s Bay, Hermanus, Kleinmond and Gansbaai.

West Coast District Municipality

The seat of the West Coast District Municipality is Moorreesburg. The district is located above Cape Town. It is the second largest of the Western Cape’s districts and has charming fishing villages and fresh seafood. Some of the most visited places in this district are Saldanha Bay, Langebaan and Paternoster.

Wine Routes in The Western Cape Province

The Western Cape Province has the following wine routes to tour:

Helderberg Wine Route
Franschhoek Wine Route
Paarl Wine Route
Robertson Wine Route
Stellenbosch Wine Route
Worcester Wine Route

The Complete List of Train Travel Options Between Johannesburg and Cape Town

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There are several frequently asked questions tourists to South Africa have about train travel. Since the two most visited cities are Cape Town and Johannesburg, the first is whether there is a train from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and the answer is that there are several options for overnight train travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Another question is whether there is a high-speed train between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The answer to this question is no. The Gautrain is a high-speed train in Gauteng, but there is no Gautrain line between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Your options for train travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town depend on your budget, time in South Africa and what you want from your travel experience. Let’s explore the options for overnight train travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town, which includes the Shosholoza Meyl, Rovos Rail and the Blue Train.

Bus travel between Cape Town and Johannesburg may suit your budget better if you are on a budget.

Train Travel Between Johannesburg and Cape Town: Shosholoza Meyl

The Shosholoza Meyl is a passenger train operated by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). It travels between Johannesburg, Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth and Durban every week at reasonable rates.

The trains travel between Park Station in Johannesburg and Cape Town’s train station. The train journey between Cape Town and Johannesburg lasts 25 hours and covers a distance of 1600 km across South Africa.

The Shosholoza Meyl is a dedicated long-distance passenger train service, offering economy and deluxe sleeper class trains. In both tourist and premier classes, compartments have 2 or 4 berths. Solo travellers share a 4-bed compartment with solo travellers of the same gender. The leatherette benches in the compartments convert to bunk beds at night. Each compartment has a washbasin with hot and cold water under the table. There is a communal toilet, lockable shower cubicle and changing area at the end of the coach.

Train Travel Between Johannesburg and Cape Town: The Shosholoza Meyl Service Offerings

You can book either economy or deluxe tickets on the Shosholoza Meyl. You can also transport your car between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Economy or Tourist Class

The restaurant in the tourist class coach makes South African meals which you can purchase with cash only. You can also buy snacks from a service trolley or bring food. You can get bedding from an attendant at R75 per person. Remember, the tourist class coaches do not have air conditioning, but you can open the train’s windows for fresh air and a cool breeze.

The tourist class Shosholoza Meyl travels between Johannesburg and Cape Town on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The train leaves Johannesburg at 10:30 on these days and arrives in Cape Town the following day at 12:40. The journey is an hour longer than the premier class and takes 16 hours. In addition, the tourist train stops at many towns, whereas the premier train trains only have two stops during the journey.

Deluxe or Premier Class for Train Travel Between Johannesburg and Cape Town

When you book a deluxe ticket, you travel in the Premier Classe. One of the premier class ticket benefits is access to the VIP lounges in Johannesburg and Cape Town before boarding the train. In the Premier Classe, you get a classy food and beverage schedule. You get welcome drinks and snacks comprising tea/coffee and muffins when the train departs, a full English breakfast, a four-course lunch, high tea and a five-course dinner while travelling.

Coffee/tea and juices are complimentary when travelling premier class, but you will pay extra for alcoholic beverages and sodas. You eat meals in a restaurant car and access the premier classe’s lounge coach with a television. The Premier Classe coaches have air conditioning. Your premier class fare includes bedding, towels and additional luxury amenities.

The premier classe’s Shosholoza Meyl travels once a week on Thursdays from Johannesburg and Cape Town. The train leaves Johannesburg at 10:30 on a Thursday and arrives in Cape Town at 12:40 on a Friday. The train travels via Kimberley and Beaufort West to get to Cape Town. You can travel from Cape Town to Johannesburg in premier class once a week on Tuesdays. The train leaves Cape Town at 9:05 on a Tuesday morning and arrives in Johannesburg at 11:03 on a Wednesday. The train travels via Kimberley and Beaufort West to get to Johannesburg.

How Much Are the Shosholoza Meyl Train’s Prices for Train Travel Between Johannesburg and Cape Town?

The fare is R690 per trip for tourist class tickets, making this the cheapest train from Johannesburg to Cape Town. The premier class ticket costs R3120 per trip and is reasonable for a more luxurious train travel experience.

How Do I Book the Shosholoza Meyl for Train Travel Between Johannesburg and Cape Town?

The Shosholoza Website does not contain much information on the service. However, you can book through the following sales and reservation contact numbers: 086 000 8888 / (+27 11) 774 4555. The call centre operates from 8:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 8:00 to 12:00 on weekends and public holidays.

An online booking alternative is to book through a third-party website by completing a form to get a quote. You cannot make a direct and immediate online booking for travel on the Shosholoza Meyl, and you cannot book tourist class tickets or get a quote for longer than 90 days before your travel date. You can book premier class tickets one year before your travel dates.

for Train Travel Between Johannesburg and Cape Town: Considerations for The Shosholoza Meyl

Many travellers complain about the train often leaving late and last-minute cancellations. For the most updated information on your journey, follow the South African Railways on Facebook or Twitter.

Train Travel Between Pretoria and Cape Town: Rovos Rail’s Train

Rovos Rail started in 1989 and offers a steam-train experience. They provide several train journeys, including the first-class train between Pretoria and Cape Town. During the trip, guests visit the historic village of Matjiesfontein, with a museum on its platform. The train also stops in Kimberley to visit the Diamond Mine Museum and the Big Hole. Here is a great place to stay if you visit Kimberley.

Each train includes coaches for accommodation, dining and a lounge. There is also a small gift shop, a smoking lounge and an observation car with a balcony. The Rovos Train has no radios or television sets on board.

Train travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town: The Big Hole Kimberley South Africa

The Rovos Train does not use Pretoria Station, but the Rovos Rail Station in Capital Park, Pretoria. The train departs from Pretoria at 11:00 on the first travel day. During the second travel day, guests visit Kimberley, and on the third travel day, they see Matjiesfontein. The train arrives in Cape Town on the third day at 18:00. The journey from Cape Town to Pretoria has the same schedule, just in reverse.

Choice of Compartments

The Rovos Train offers a variety of compartments to choose from, including:

Royal suites: These suites have a private lounge area and an en-suite bathroom with a Victorian bath, separate shower, basin and toilet. Guests can choose between double beds or twin beds.
Deluxe suites: Each suite has a lounge area and en-suite bathroom with a shower, toilet and basin. Guests can choose between double beds or twin beds.
Pullman suites: These are available on long journeys and have an en-suite bathroom with a shower, toilet and basin. During the day, these suites have a couch for seating that converts to a bed at night.

How Much Does a Trip on the Rovos Rail Cost?

The ticket prices depend on the type of compartment you book and whether you share a compartment or travel alone. A single supplement is a 50% add-on to a compartment’s regular price. The prices for the train tickets between Pretoria and Cape Town or from Cape Town to Pretoria are:

Type of suitePrice in South African RandPrice in USD

Pullman SuiteR26 500$1 875

Deluxe SuiteR39 500$2 794

Royal SuiteR53 500$3 785

1ZAR = USD0.0707

How to Book Tickets for Rovos Rail?

You can submit an information request, a quote, or a booking on the Rovos Rail Website.

Train Travel Between Pretoria and Cape Town: Blue Train

The Blue train launched in 1946 and provides a luxury hotel experience. If you love old steam trains and want a first-class experience, this train is for you!

The Blue Train does not travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town but from Pretoria Station to Cape Town station and between Cape Town and Pretoria. The Blue Train typically travels between Pretoria and Cape Town weekly.

Train travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town: the University of South Africa in Pretoria, South Africa

When travelling on the Blue Train, you can choose between suites with either twin or double beds. Each suite has an en suite bathroom. The suites also include the following:

Radio and move channels.
A digital entertainment area.
A selection of music CVs and DVD movies.

The train is air-conditioned, and the windows remain closed at all times. A butler is available in each coach, and room service is available 24 hours daily.

When travelling from Pretoria to Cape Town, the Blue Train leaves Pretoria Station at 14:00 and arrives at Cape Town station at noon on the third day of the journey. The reverse journey from Cape Town to Pretoria has similar departure and arrival times. The Blue Train travels between Pretoria and Cape Town once a week. Depending on the month, there are between 3 and 5 trips a month. For the updated schedule, check their website.

There is also a Blue Train route between Pretoria and the Kruger National Park.

Compartment Options on The Blue Train

You can also choose between a deluxe or luxury experience on the Blue Train. The deluxe compartment has either a double bed or two single beds. It also comes with an en-suite shower or small bath. The luxury compartments are identical, except they have a full bath in the en-suite bathroom.

How Long Is a Trip on The Blue Train?

The Blue Train travels 1660 km between Pretoria and Cape Town. The train journey on the blue train takes three days and includes an excursion in Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa if there is time and the weather is good. Guests visit the Kimberley Open Mine Museum and the Big Hole in Kimberley.

What Should I Wear on The Blue Train?

When travelling on the Blue Train, you must take formal clothing for dinner. Men need to wear a jacket or waistcoat with a tie, while ladies need elegant evening wear. During the day, the dress code is smart casual, but you cannot wear shorts or flip-flops in the dining car.

How Much Does a Trip on The Blue Train Cost?

The Blue Train’s rates include all meals, high tea every afternoon, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and excursions. The fare does not include French champagne, caviare or telephone calls. When you make your reservation, you can specify if you need special meals (such as halal, vegetarian or kosher) and whether you prefer a double or twin-bed suite.

The rates for travelling on the Blue Train depend on whether you travel in the low or high season. The low season is from 1 January to 31 August each year and from 16 November to 31 December. The peak or high season is from 1 September to 15 November each year. The Blue Train’s rates from Pretoria to Cape Town or from Cape Town to Pretoria are:

Type of bookingLow season (ZAR)Low season (USD)High season (ZAR)High season (ZAR)

Luxury sharingR28 915$2 045R35 990$2 546

Luxury singleR43 370$3 068R53 980$3 819

Deluxe sharingR23 085$1 633R28 495$2 016

Deluxe singleR34 630$2 450R42 730$3 023

1ZAR = USD0.0707

How to Book Tickets for The Blue Train?

You can book your tickets for the Blue Train online.

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About Western Cape

The Western Cape (Afrikaans: Wes-Kaap [ˈvɛskɑːp]; Xhosa: iNtshona-Koloni) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of 129,449 square kilometres (49,981 sq mi), and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020.About two-thirds of these inhabitants live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town, which is also the provincial capital. The Western Cape was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province. The two largest cities are Cape Town and George.

Geography

Topography of the Western Cape. The Roggeveld and Nuweveld mountains are part of the Great Escarpment (see diagrams below). The other mountain ranges belong to the Cape Fold Belt, also shown in the diagrams below. The Western Cape's inland boundary lies for the most part at the foot of the Great Escarpment.

The Western Cape is roughly L-shaped, extending north and east from the Cape of Good Hope, in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It stretches about 400 kilometres (250 mi) northwards along the Atlantic coast and about 500 kilometres (300 mi) eastwards along the South African south coast (Southern Indian Ocean). It is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape and on the east by the Eastern Cape. The total land area of the province is 129,462 square kilometres (49,986 sq mi),: 9 about 10.6% of the country's total. It is roughly the size of England or the State of Louisiana. Its capital city and largest city is Cape Town, and some other major cities include Stellenbosch, Worcester, Paarl, and George. The Garden Route and the Overberg are popular coastal tourism areas.

The Western Cape is the southernmost region of the African continent with Cape Agulhas as its southernmost point, only 3,800 kilometres (2,400 mi) from the Antarctic coastline. The coastline varies from sandy between capes, to rocky to steep and mountainous in places. The only natural harbour is Saldanha Bay on the west coast, about 140 kilometres (90 mi) north of Cape Town. However a lack of fresh water in the region meant that it has only recently been used as a harbour. The province's main harbour was built in Table Bay, which in its natural state was fully exposed to the northwesterly storms that bring rain to the province in winter, as well as the almost uninterrupted dry southeasterly winds in summer. But fresh water coming off Table Mountain and Devil's Peak allowed the early European settlers to build Cape Town on the shores of this less than satisfactory anchorage.

Topography

The province is topographically exceptionally diverse. Most of the province falls within the Cape Fold Belt, a set of nearly parallel ranges of sandstone folded mountains of Cambrian-Ordovician age (the age of the rocks is from 510 to about 330 million years ago; their folding into mountains occurred about 350 to about 270 million years ago). The height of the mountain peaks in the different ranges varies from 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft). The valleys between ranges are generally very fertile, as they contain the weathered loamy soils of the Bokkeveld mudstones (see the diagrams below).

The far interior forms part of the Karoo. This region of the province is generally arid and hilly, with a prominent escarpment that runs close to the Province's most inland boundary.

A diagrammatic 400 km south–north crosssection through the Cape at approximately 21° 30' E (i.e. near Calitzdorp in the Little Karoo), showing the relationship between the Cape Fold Mountains (and their geological structure) and the geology of the Little and Great Karoo, as well as the position of the Great Escarpment. The colour code for the geological layers is the same as those used in the diagram above. The heavy black line flanked by opposing arrows is the fault that runs for nearly 300 km along the southern edge of the Swartberg Mountains. The Swartberg Mountain range owes some of its great height to upliftment along this fault line. The subsurface structures are not to scale.

Escarpment

The escarpment marks the southwestern edge of South Africa's central plateau (see the middle and bottom diagrams on the left).[10][12] It runs parallel to the entire South African coastline, except in the very far northeast, where it is interrupted by the Limpopo River valley, and in the far northwest, where it is interrupted by the Orange River valley. The 1,000-kilometre-long (620 mi) northeastern stretch of the escarpment is called the Drakensberg, which is geographically and geologically quite distinct from the Cape Fold Mountains, which originated much earlier and totally independently of the origin of the escarpment.

Rivers

The principal rivers of the province are the Berg and Olifants which drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Breede and Gourits which drain into the Indian Ocean.

Flora

The Red Disa (disa uniflora) is an orchid endemic to the Western Cape. It is the province's official flower.

The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of the world's most diverse, and is found exclusively in the Cape.

The vegetation of the region is also extremely diverse, with one of the world's seven floral kingdoms almost exclusively endemic to the province, namely the Cape Floral Kingdom, most of which is covered by Fynbos (from the Afrikaans meaning "Fine Bush" (Dutch: Fijnbosch), though precisely how it came to be referred to as such, is uncertain.). These evergreen heathlands are extremely rich in species diversity, with at least as many plant species occurring on Table Mountain as in the entire United Kingdom. It is characterised by various types of shrubs, thousands of herbaceous flowering plant species and some grasses.[ With the exception of the Silver tree, Leucadendron argenteum, which only grows on the granite and clay soils of the Cape Peninsula, open fynbos is generally treeless except in the wetter mountain ravines where patches of Afromontane forest persist. The West Coast and Little Karoo are semi-arid regions and are typified by many species of succulents and drought-resistant shrubs and acacia trees. The Garden Route on the south coast (between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Southern Indian Ocean) is extremely lush, with temperate rainforest (or Afromontane Forest) covering many areas adjacent to the coast, in the deep river valleys and along the southern slopes of the Outeniqua mountain range.[citation needed] Typical species are hardwoods of exceptional height, such as Yellowwood, Stinkwood and Ironwood trees.

Climate - Cape Liberal Tradition - Cape Independence Movement

Climate

The Western Cape is climatologically diverse, with many distinct micro- and macroclimates created by the varied topography and the influence of the surrounding ocean currents. These are the warm Agulhas Current which flows southwards along South Africa's east coast, and the cold Benguela Current which is an upwelling current from the depths of the South Atlantic Ocean along South Africa's west coast.[18][19] Thus climatic statistics can vary greatly over short distances. Most of the province is considered to have a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Both the Great Karoo and Little Karoo, in the interior, have an arid to semi-arid climate with cold, frosty winters and hot summers with occasional thunderstorms. The Garden Route and the Overberg on the south coast have a maritime climate with cool, moist winters and mild, moist summers. Mossel Bay in the Garden Route is considered[by whom?] to have the second mildest climate worldwide after Hawaii.[citation needed] The La Niña phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle tends to increase rainfall in this region in the dry season (November to April).

The effects of El Niño on rainfall in southern Africa differ between the summer and winter rainfall areas. Winter rainfall areas tend to get higher rainfall than normal and summer rainfall areas tend to get less rain. The effect on the summer rainfall areas is stronger and has led to severe drought in strong El Niño events.

Sea surface temperatures off the west and south coasts of South Africa are affected by ENSO via changes in surface wind strength. During El Niño the south-easterly winds driving upwelling are weaker which results in warmer coastal waters than normal, while during La Niña the same winds are stronger and cause colder coastal waters. These effects on the winds are part of large scale influences on the tropical Atlantic and the South Atlantic High-pressure system, and changes to the pattern of westerly winds further south. There are other influences not known to be related to ENSO of similar importance. Some ENSO events do not lead to the expected changes.

Thunderstorms are generally rare in the province (except in the Karoo) with most precipitation being of a frontal or orographic nature. Extremes of heat and cold are common inland, but rare near the coast. Snow is a common winter occurrence on the Western Cape Mountains occasionally reaching down into the more inland valleys. Otherwise, frost is relatively rare in coastal areas and many of the heavily cultivated valleys.

Cape Liberal Tradition

The Cape has had a long tradition of holding liberal values. For example, the Cape Qualified Franchise before the Union of South Africa.

Cape Qualified Franchise

Main article: Cape Qualified Franchise

The Cape Qualified Franchise was the system of non-racial franchise that was adhered to in the Cape Colony, and in the Cape Province in the early years of the Union of South Africa. Qualifications for the right to vote at parliamentary elections were applied equally to all men, regardless of race.

This local system of multi-racial suffrage was later gradually restricted, and eventually abolished, under various National Party and United Party governments. In 1930 white women were enfranchised, and in 1931 property qualifications for white voters were removed. In 1936 black voters were then removed from the common voters' rolls and allowed only to elect separate members in 1936, and subsequently denied all representation in the House of Assembly in 1960. Coloured voters similarly followed in 1958 and 1970, respectively.

Contribution of the Western Cape in the National Youth Uprisings

The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. The BCM represented a social movement for political consciousness.

In December 1968, the South African Student Organization (SASO) was formed at a conference held in Marianhill, Natal. The conference was exclusively attended by Black students. After its launch, SASO became the medium through which black consciousness ideology spread to schools and other university campuses across the country.

In 1974, South African Minister of Bantu Education and Development MC Botha, constituted the imposition of using Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools, effective with students in Grade 7 (Standard 5) upwards.As early as March 1976, students began passive resistance against Afrikaans, fueling the outbreak of the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976. Consequently, the student protests spread to other parts of the country, and Cape Town became a pivotal site for Western Cape student revolt.

Student leaders at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) organised marches. Poster parades by UWC and Black Power Salute marches by UCT was broken by the police, resulting in 73 students getting arrested and detained at Victor Verster Prison, near Paarl.

On 1 September 1976, the unrest spread to the city of Cape Town itself. Approximately 2000 black students from Western Cape townships, namely Langa, Nyanga and Gugulethu, matched the Cape Town central business district (CBD). Coloured students also contributed to the protests by peacefully marching to the city, but were blockaded by the police in the CBD. The protests turned violent when coloured students started burning schools, libraries and a magistrate's court in support of the student revolt. Thereafter, 200,000 coloured workers partook in a two-day strike staying away from work in the Cape Town area.[citation needed]

According to a report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the Western Cape experienced the second highest number of deaths and casualties associated with the 1976 uprising protests.

1994 and the Western Cape post-apartheid

In 1994, at the introduction of the Interim Constitution and the first non-racial election, South Africa's original provinces and bantustans were abolished and nine new provinces were established. The former Cape Province was divided into the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and part of North West.

In the 1994 election, the Western Cape was one of two provinces that did not elect an African National Congress (ANC) provincial government (the other being KwaZulu-Natal). The National Party (NP) won 53% of the votes and 23 seats in the 42-seat provincial legislature, and Hernus Kriel, a former Minister of Law and Order, was elected Premier. He resigned in 1998 and was replaced by Gerald Morkel.

The 1999 election marked the beginning of a period of great turbulence in Western Cape politics. No party achieved an absolute majority in the provincial parliament, as the ANC won 18 seats while the New National Party (NNP), successor to the NP, won 17. The NNP went into coalition with the Democratic Party (DP), which won 5 seats, to form a government, and Morkel remained Premier. In 2000 the DP and the NNP formalised their coalition by forming the Democratic Alliance (DA).

In 2001, however, the NNP broke with the DA over the removal of Peter Marais from office as Mayor of Cape Town by DA leader Tony Leon. The NNP instead went into coalition with the ANC; Gerald Morkel, who was opposed to the split, resigned as Premier and was replaced by Peter Marais. In 2002 Marais resigned as Premier due to a sexual harassment scandal, and was replaced by NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk. During the 2003 floor-crossing period four members of the provincial parliament crossed to the ANC, giving it an absolute majority of 22 seats in the 42-seat house. However, the ANC remained in coalition with the NNP and van Schalkwyk remained as Premier.

In the 2004 election, there was again no absolute winner in the provincial parliament; this time the ANC won 19 seats, the DA won 12, and the NNP won 5. The ANC-NNP coalition continued in power, but van Schalkwyk took up a ministerial post in the national cabinet and was replaced as Premier by the ANC's Ebrahim Rasool. The NNP was finally dissolved after the 2005 floor-crossing period and its members joined the ANC, again giving that party an absolute majority of 24 seats. In the 2007 floor-crossing period the ANC gained a further three members of the provincial parliament. In 2008 Rasool resigned as Premier due to internal party politics, and was replaced by Lynne Brown.

The 2009 election marked a significant change in Western Cape politics, as the Democratic Alliance won 51% of the votes and an absolute majority of 22 seats in the provincial parliament, while the ANC won 14 seats with 31% of the vote. The DA leader Helen Zille was elected Premier. In 2010 the Independent Democrats, which had won 3 seats with 5% of the vote, merged with the DA. In the 2014 election the DA won 59% of the votes and an absolute majority of 26 seats in the provincial parliament, while the ANC won 14 seats with 32% of the vote. In 2018 King Khoebaha Cornelius III Declared the independence of the "Sovereign State of Good Hope".

In the 2019 election, the DA retained their majority in the province, but with a reduction in support. It had won 24 seats with 55%. Helen Zille was term-limited and the DA premier candidate Alan Winde succeeded her. The ANC also lost support. It had received 12 seats with 28% support, its lowest showing since 1994. Veteran politician Peter Marais returned to the provincial parliament as the sole representative of the Freedom Front Plus. Patricia de Lille formed another party, Good, and it achieved a seat.

The DA continued to win a majority of the votes in the 2021 municipal elections, receiving 54% of the vote province-wide, with support in Cape Town at 58%.

Cape Independence Movement

Main article: Cape independence

Since the late 2000s there has been growing support for Western Cape, or Greater Cape, independence from South Africa.[citation needed] Political parties such as the Referendum Party, Freedom Front Plus and organisations such as the Cape Independence Advocacy Group and CapeXit, wish to bring forth the constitutional and peaceful secession of the Western Cape.

Proponents claim substantial support for the idea, with CapeXit having over 800,000 signed mandates in May 2021. Additionally, a poll conducted in 2023 by Victory Research on behalf of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group claimed that 58% of the Western Cape's registered voters would support independence, while 68% would support a referendum on the issue.

Law and government - Municipalities - District and metropolitan municipalities

Law and government

Main articles: Government of the Western Cape and Politics of the Western Cape

Provincial government headquarters in Cape Town

The provincial government is established under the Constitution of the Western Cape, which was adopted in 1998. The people of the province elect the 42-member Western Cape Provincial Parliament every five years by a system of party-list proportional representation. The sixth provincial parliament was elected in 2024; 24 seats are held by the Democratic Alliance, 8 by the African National Congress, 3 by the Patriotic Alliance, 2 by the Economic Freedom Fighters, and 1 each by the African Christian Democratic Party, Al Jama-ah, Good, Freedom Front Plus, and National Coloured Congress. The provincial parliament is responsible for legislating within its responsibilities as set out by the national constitution; these responsibilities include agriculture, education, environment, health services, housing, language policies, tourism, trade, and welfare.

The provincial parliament also elects the Premier of the Western Cape to lead the provincial executive. Alan Winde, a member of the DA and former Provincial Minister of Community Safety, has served as Premier since the 2019 provincial election. The Premier appoints ten members of the provincial legislature to serve as a cabinet of ministers, overseeing the departments of the provincial government. These departments are Agriculture, Community Safety, Cultural Affairs and Sport, Economic Development and Tourism, Education, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Health, Human Settlements, Local Government, Social Development, Transport and Public Works, and the Provincial Treasury.

Politically, the Western Cape is a stronghold for the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA has won an absolute majority of the vote in the province in every national, provincial, and municipal election since 2009.

Municipalities

Main article: List of municipalities in the Western Cape

The Western Cape Province is divided into one metropolitan municipality and five district municipalities. The district municipalities are in turn divided into 24 local municipalities.

In the following interactive map, the district and metropolitan municipalities are labelled in capital letters and shaded in various different colours. Clicking on the district on the map loads the appropriate article:

District and metropolitan municipalities

NameCodeSeatArea
(km2)Population
(2016)Pop. density
(per km2)

Cape Winelands District MunicipalityDC2Worcester21,473866,00140.3

Central Karoo District MunicipalityDC5Beaufort West38,85474,2471.9

City of Cape Town Metropolitan MunicipalityCPTCape Town2,4464,005,0161,637.6

Garden Route District MunicipalityDC4George23,331611,27826.2

Overberg District MunicipalityDC3Bredasdorp12,239286,78623.4

West Coast District MunicipalityDC1Moorreesburg31,119436,40314.0

Transport

The N1 national route atop the Hex River Pass.

Railway network in the Western Cape

The Western Cape has an excellent network of highways comparable with any first-world country. The primary highways are the N1 (from Cape Town to Three Sisters, continuing outside the province towards Bloemfontein and Johannesburg), N2 (from Cape Town to Bloukrans River, towards Port Elizabeth), N7 (from Cape Town to Bitterfontein, continuing towards Springbok and Namibia), N9 (from George to Uniondale, continuing towards Graaff-Reinet and Colesberg) and N12 (from George to Three Sisters, continuing towards Kimberley and Johannesburg). Other routes are the "R" roads which connect the smaller towns. All major roads are tarred with major rural gravel roads well maintained. Limited access motorways are limited to the Cape Metropolitan Area, Winelands and Garden Route, however due to the low population density of the remainder of the province, the highways remain efficient and high-speed, except during peak holiday travel seasons, when travel can be slow-going in places due to heavy traffic. [citation needed]

Demographics

Population density in the Western Cape

<1 /km2
1–3 /km2
3–10 /km2
10–30 /km2
30–100 /km2
100–300 /km2
300–1000 /km2
1000–3000 /km2
>3000 /km2

Dominant home languages in the Western Cape

Afrikaans
English
Xhosa
No language dominant

The 2022 South African census recorded the population of the Western Cape as 7,433,020 people living in 2,264,032 households.[48] As the province covers an area of 129,462 square kilometres (49,986 sq mi),: 9 the population density was 45.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (117/sq mi) and the household density 12.6 per square kilometre (33/sq mi).

Education - Culture - Religion & Cities and towns

Education

Stellenbosch University

The University of Cape Town

The Western Cape province has the most highly educated residents with a very skilled workforce in comparison to any other African region.or higher was 4.8% (2005), the highest in the country.

The province also boasts four universities:

The province is also home to the South African Military Academy.

Culture

Cuisine

Winelands

Religion

According to the 2022 census, a majority of the population of the Western Cape is Christian. At 5.2% of the population, the Western Cape's Muslim minority is the largest among South Africa's provinces.

Religious Affiliation (2022)

Christianity85.6%

Traditional African5.3%

Islam5.2%

Judaism0.2%

Hinduism0.2%

Buddhism0.1%

Atheism0.3%

Agnosticism0.3%

No religious affiliation2.0%

Other0.8%