Western Cape
Western Cape
| |
|---|---|
Province | |
Hex River Mountains | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) | |
Map showing the location of the Western Cape in the south-western part of South Africa in red | |
| Coordinates: 34°S 20°E / 34°S 20°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Established | 27 April 1994 |
| Capital | Cape Town |
| Municipalities | List
|
| Government | |
| • Type | Parliamentary system |
| • Premier | Alan Winde (DA) |
| • Legislature | Western Cape Provincial Parliament |
| Area [1]: 9 | |
• Total | 129,462 km2 (49,986 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 4th in South Africa |
| Highest elevation | 2,325 m (7,628 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 7,433,020 |
| • Rank | 3rd in South Africa |
| • Density | 57/km2 (150/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 4th in South Africa |
| Population groups (2022) | |
| • Coloured | 42.1% |
| • Black | 38.8% |
| • White | 16.4% |
| • Indian or Asian | 1.1% |
| Languages (2022) | |
| • Afrikaans | 41.2% |
| • Xhosa | 31.4% |
| • English | 22.0% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| ISO 3166 code | ZA-WC |
| GDP (2023) | R656.27 billion[4] (US$56.3 billion[5]) |
| HDI (2021) | 0.751[6] high · 1st of 9 |
| Gini (2010) | 0.58 [7] high |
| Website | www |
| Xhosa | iNtshona-Koloni |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Wes-Kaap |
| Sepedi | Kapa Bodikela |
| Sesotho | Kapa Bophirimela |
| Setswana | Kapa Bophirima |
| Xitsonga | Kapa Vupela-dyambu |
| Venda | Kapa Vhukovhela |
The Western Cape (Afrikaans: Wes-Kaap [ˈvɛskɑːp]; Xhosa: iNtshona-Koloni, lit. 'West Colony') is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is geographically the fourth largest of the country's nine provinces, with an area of 129,449 square kilometres (49,981 sq mi), and the third most populous, with an estimated 7.43 million inhabitants in 2022.[2]
About two-thirds of the province's residents live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town, which is also the provincial capital, and South Africa's second-largest city. The Western Cape was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province. The two largest cities are Cape Town and George.
The Western Cape is generally regarded as the best-run of South Africa's provinces, with a robust system of governance, proactive administration, high quality infrastructure, and strong political and civil accountability.[8][9] The province also has South Africa's highest secondary education graduation rate.[10] In the 2024 Governance Performance Index (GPI), the Western Cape achieved the highest scores across all categories, by a significant margin.[11]
Cape Town, the capital of the Western Cape, has the country's highest household incomes,[12] lowest rate of unemployment,[13] highest level of infrastructure investment,[14] strongest service delivery performance,[15] largest tourism appeal,[16] and most robust real estate market.[17]
- ^ Census 2011: Census in brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2012. ISBN 9780621413885.
- ^ a b Census 2022:Statistical Release. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2022.
- ^ "Census 2022: Statistical Release" (PDF). statssa.gov.za. 10 October 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
i003was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Provincial gross domestic product:experimental estimates, 2013–2022" (PDF), www.statssa.gov.za
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Regional Development Profile City of Cape Town" (PDF). Western Cape Government. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Malcolm Libera (19 July 2025). "The worst-run municipality in the Western Cape for 3 years in a row". BusinessTech. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Western Cape is the top performing Province on service delivery, General Household Survey". Polity. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Bulelani Nonyukela (14 February 2024). "DA-run Western Cape is better than ANC provinces: Alan Winde". Times LIVE. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Staff Writer (26 March 2024). "The best and worst-run municipalities in South Africa". BusinessTech. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Kirsten Minnaar (30 June 2025). "South Africans flock to Cape Town". Daily Investor. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Cape Town Deviates from National Labour Trends". eNCA. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "2025 to 2026 Budget - Annexure A" (PDF). The City of Cape Town. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Cape Town ranked first in latest Good Governance Africa index". The City of Cape Town. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Kate Walker (5 May 2025). "Cape Town crowned world's top city for travel – again". CapeTown ETC. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Jason Woosey (24 June 2025). "Cape Town's property market continues to outpace other cities as the wealth divide grows". IOL. Retrieved 20 July 2025.