Expert Info
on 18 Jun 2012
Hi All, I have been transferred to Capetown , but was really concerned about the Security & Safety of the City. I have asked few of my Friends & i get a very Mix reviews from them. My Company has Offered me a House Rent of ZAR 300,000 Annually. My Job Involves regular touring in Entire Africa & thus would normally be out of House leaving my Wife & Kid back in Capetown for sometime more than a Week. Do you think i will be able to Find a Good & comfortable house in a very very safe zone in the above cost??? Again my Wife & Kids are very Social & listing to the Safety Concerns in SA, i may have to tell them to sit in the house as a Prisoner???? Is this True?????
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Have a look at our Accommodation in Cape Town page, and from there you can link through to our guides on Areas and Suburbs in Cape Town and Renting a Property in Cape Town.
Good luck with your relocation!
The shopping malls in Cape Town are a short drive (no more than 20 minutes) away from most areas.
There aren't many international schools in Cape Town - although some of the older, more established South African private schools are very good and worth looking into. It depends on what curriculum your kids are used to. Take a look at this thread on the difference between private and international schools in South Africa for some advice from expats on the subject.
The City Bowl (centre of town) has some good private schools and a small shopping centre in Gardens, and is a short drive from Canal Walk and Cavendish Square malls. You'll be able to find a good apartment with decent security in the area, or even a freestanding house with lovely views of the city. Otherwise, you could try an area like Constantia, which is also close to a mall and which has some excellent schools.
Try contacting a real estate agency like Pam Golding (pamgolding.co.za) - they should be able to send you a list of areas that meet your requirements.
I hope everything goes well with your move. Cape Town really is a stunning city and a wonderful place to raise a family.
Good luck with your search!
There is only one German school in Cape Town, in the suburb of Gardens in the city centre or "City Bowl" area. It has a bilingual programme. The other option is to speak German at home at send them to an English school, in which case you have loads of top-quality private South African schools to choose from. Have a look at International Schools in Cape Town and Private Schools in Cape Town for a list of good schools and their contact details. I suggest treating getting into a good school as your top priority as the best ones will have long waiting lists and January next year is pretty close!
It's hard to say which are the most "secure" suburbs in Cape Town. Basically you get good areas and bad areas, and within those areas your house is either secure (has proper alarm system / armed response etc) or it isn't. The most secure option is to live in a gated community which has its own security guard / boom entrance.
Since the German school and Simonstown are quite far apart (30 minutes at best, at least an hour's drive in peak times) you should think carefully about where you want to live. It might be better to live nearer the city centre and drive out to Simonstown every day (you'll be against traffic that way) - see areas like Gardens or Vredehoek for example. Have a look at Areas and Suburbs in Cape Town for more information.
Good luck with the move :)
Have a look at Cost of Living in South Africa for an idea of the price of food in Cape Town - there is a chart with a list of food and their prices. There isn't much difference between cost of food in different cities in SA although obviously things like fish will be cheaper at the coast.
Have a look at Areas and Suburbs in Cape Town for more information about where to live. The city centre has lots of high-rise apartment buildings and no shortage of apartments, although they can be quite pricey in this area - say at least 4,000 ZAR for a bachelor flat up to 15,000 and beyond for a really nice apartment.. A good online resource for apartment hunting is Gumtree.co.za, although you could also contact an estate agent like Pam Golding for a list of apartments that meet your specifications, as estate agents don't charge for their services in South Africa.
I'm not sure what you mean by "if there is a crisis" ...? If you're asking whether the city is currently under seige, the answer is no :)
Norman -
Also, take a look at the FREE Guide to Schools in Johannesburg for an overview of the admissions process for international students, etc. There is a dedicated Cape Town guide coming soon but in the meantime, a lot of the information in the guide to schools in Joburg applies to Cape Town as well :)
Also, have a look at this thread about the difference between international and private schools in South Africa for more help with your choice of school.
Hmm, tough one. I know there's a Waldorf school in that area - http://www.imhoffwaldorf.org/ - or if you're OK with a government school Fishhoek Primary School (http://www.fishhoekprimary.co.za/) is supposed to be pretty good. But if your kids are older and in high school and you can afford it I'd say you should go for Reddam House (http://www.reddamhouse.org.za/).
There are also some really good schools in Constantia like Hershel Girls (http://www.herschel.org.za/) or or Cedar House (http://www.cedarhouse.co.za/) - all of which will be a bit of a drive in the mornings but still possible...
Although I don't have kids myself, from what I hear from my friends who are parents and have kids in school, Reddam is an excellent high school - it's at the bottom of Ou Kaapse Road, which is just on the other side of Noordhoek, and would not be too bad to get to in the mornings. It is a private school and the facilities are really good - bear in mind though, that the fees will be very steep.
Fishhoek High School used to have a good reputation, although I'm not too sure what it's like today. I believe Sun Valley Primary in Sun Valley, next to Noordhoek, is a good school. Further away are Wynberg Girls and Wynberg Boys high schools which are good schools. Right next to Wynberg Girls is Springfield, which is a private girls school. I had a friend who grew up in Noordhoek and went to Wynberg Girls' and the trek didn't seem too bad in the mornings.
The best is to also ask any of your colleagues who may have children, and also to contact the local education department - Western Cape Provincial Education Dept - as certain government schools give priority to children living within a specific feeder area, so if still househunting, you may want to consider the proximity to the school that you end up choosing for your kids. This is not the case with private schools though; they'll have their own admissions policies. Hope this has helped. Good luck with your move and school search!
There's a thread on that subject here. You can also take a look at Cost of Living in South Africa for a list of daily expenses.
I knew people who were at UCT who got by on very, very little. They had no social life at all but they did it. But it always depends on your own lifestyle - there's no universally applicable cost of living in Cape Town. Where are you coming from, so I have a better idea of what you're used to? It also depends on where you're studying. UCT is in the southern suburbs and accommodation nearby is in high demand and therefore fairly expensive, although it is possible to find cheaper spots if you look hard enough. UWC is further out and accommodation in its surrounds is much cheaper.
Again, it depends on the lifestyle you're used to - take a look at Cost of Living in South Africa to get an idea of grocery prices. If you want to construct your own list, you could even have a look at South African retail giant Pick n' Pay's online home shopping website to get an idea of the products on offer and what they cost (pnponline.co.za). But, OK, for a family of four eating cereal in the morning, sandwiches at lunchtime and home-cooked meals in the evening, with take-out pizzas once a week, I'd hazard a guess at maybe R1500 a week... really hard to say though.
Petrol - it depends on how far you're travelling. Petrol's gone up recently and it's almost the highest it's ever been in SA. If you live and work in the CBD and the kids go to school in the CBD and you don't go out on weekends it shouldn't be more than say R1000 a month. If you make regular weekend trips out of town to beaches and winefarms then it will be more. Then again, I know a single guy who spends R1600 a month all on his own just getting to work in the mornings.
Electricity also depends - for example, on the size of your house. I'd say at LEAST R500 a month up to R2000 or beyond if you leave lights and appliances on all the time and have a pool.
Also, don't forget you'll need to get your own private medical insurance - for a family of four that'll be at least R3000 a month.
For media and PR jobs, take a look at Bizcommunity.co.za, or send your CV to a few recruitment companies in Cape Town (they don't charge for their services). Other websites you could try are Jobrapido.com or Gumtree.co.za. Use the search bars to find what you're looking for. You'll soon get a feel for the market if you take a look at these - although that said, this is generally a bad time of year to be looking (right before Christmas). Feb/March is when when everyone starts to look around to change jobs. You'll have a bit of competition for media and PR jobs, but then, there is also plenty of work to be had if you have the skills and experience - it's hard to say what your prospects are without knowing more about you. :)
Keep in mind you'll need to get a job before you move to Cape Town because you'lll need a work permit. See Work Permits in South Africa for more info.
On safety, look, you're not going to find anywhere in South Africa that allows you to feel as safe as you do right now in Dubai. (See Safety in South Africa). On the other hand, SA has a wonderfully vibrant and interesting culture to explore, and Cape Town is a beautiful city to live in. Cape Town is generally safer than Johannesburg, although it depends on where you live. The safest options are gated communities with guards and boom entrances, or if you live in a free-standing house you must just make sure it has a decent alarm system, burglar bars etc and is in a good area. You'll need to follow at least basic personal safety rules as you would in any major American or UK city - i.e. don't walk alone at night, stay away from certain areas of the city, be aware of your personal belongings in crowds, keep your car and house locked, etc.
A good strategy is to stay in a hotel for a bit while you look around for somewhere to live so you can get a feel for the areas and suburbs in Cape Town first.
It sounds like you'll probably find life in Cape Town a lot easier than in Johannesburg. If you live close to the CBD or on the Atlantic Seaboard you'll be living amongst a cosmoplitan community full of expats and that should make adjustment much easier.
I am an expat living in Cape Town and I know a number of people who travel to Jo'burg for a few days each week. This will definatley be an option for you, Jo'burg is only a 2hr flight away from Cape Town. However, you'll need to check whether this can be negotiated into your husband's contract first.
I can honestly say you won't have to much to worry about when it comes to safety in Cape Town, especially if you live centrally. I've been living here for 3 years now and haven't ever felt unsafe.
For more information you should take a look at the Safety in South Africa page.
Yes there are people that commute between Cape Town and Jo'burg on a weekly basis. However, it is not easy and involves lots of early mornings and time away from the family but it can be done if your husband has a supportive employer.
Best of luck.
Shantalie
It depends on where you plan on living. In a popular expat area of Cape Town, you should expect to pay at least R4,000 for a decent bachlor apartment.
Shantalie