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Westlake

A suburb with higher reported crime, more affordable property values, and responsive municipal services relative to Cape Town.

Data current as of

What's it like to live here?

Westlake is a neighbourhood in False Bay, Cape Town, where property values place it among the more affordable areas in Cape Town. The area's safety profile is below the city average for reported safety. The dominant commuter mode is private vehicle.

How is the area changing?

In Westlake, crime is rising based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property value growth has lagged behind inflation between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

Westlake is served by schools within reach. In this area, the City typically resolves service complaints promptly. The suburb is well-served by nearby healthcare facilities.

Neighbourhood summary generated from StreetSignal data and reviewed by our team.

These statistics describe the suburb as a whole. Conditions vary between streets and neighbourhoods within any suburb.

For home buyers & families

Is Westlake safe?

Higher reported crime

19th percentile among 744 suburbs · Data: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

LowAbsolute crime volume
3 428 reported crimes per year · city median: 4 280
↑ 7.8% vs Q3 2024
Rate and volume tell different stories.

The per-capita rate appears high, but actual crime volume (3 428) is below the city median.

Crime is higher than most of Cape Town and has been increasing over the past year. Contact crime (assault, robbery) dominates the reported crime profile. Check the breakdown below for specifics.

Detailed data

Safety index (resident-adjusted) How is this calculated?
26 / 100Limited data — why?
Contact crime rate
580,801 per 100k residents
Station population
52 856
Harm rate (per resident)
17/100
Harm volume (absolute)
41/100
Data period
Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026)
Source
SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Muizenberg precinct, which covers Westlake and surrounding suburbs. Reported crime may differ from actual crime levels.Full methodology

Disagree with this score? Challenge the methodology ›

Source: SAPS via DataFirst · Q4 2025/2026

FOR BUYERS & INVESTORS

What do properties cost in Westlake?

16th percentile

The median property value in Westlake is R560K. Property values have grown by 3.9% per year since 2018.

A 3.9% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.
Value band distribution – Westlake properties (GV2022)

Property values are based on the City of Cape Town's 2022 General Valuation roll. GV is an assessed value for municipal rating purposes; transaction prices frequently exceed GV. Recent sales transaction data and rental market data are not available as open data in South Africa.

Median GV2022
R560,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022)
+3.9% per year↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile
16th percentile
Dominant value band
800k-1M
Source
CCT GV 2022 · Open Data Policy 27781
Vintage
General Valuation 2022 (municipal valuation, not current market price)

Source: City of Cape Town GV2022

FOR RESIDENTS

What do utilities cost in Westlake?

Computed from City of Cape Town billing data
Water
R1 014 / month
54% above city median
Electricity
R1 669 / month
12% below median of CoCT-billed suburbs
Based on a small number of accounts
Water trend:Dec 2025: R1 144Jan 2026: R1 014Feb 2026: R837
Electricity trend:Dec 2025: R1 669Jan 2026: R1 399Feb 2026: R2 086

Monthly cost per account from City of Cape Town billing data. Water coverage: 647 suburbs. Electricity coverage: 384 suburbs.

INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Development activity in Westlake

→ Stable

Westlake had 128 building plans approved in the last three financial years (FY22/23 to FY24/25), averaging 43 per year. Most were renovations and extensions.

3-year approvals
128
Annual average
43/yr
Avg project value
R1.0M

Building plans approved by the City of Cape Town (2014-2025). Approvals indicate planned investment, not completed construction. This data reflects formal building activity only and does not capture informal construction, backyard dwellings, or building work undertaken without a formal plan submission. In areas with high informality, actual construction activity may be substantially higher than these figures suggest. Source: CoCT Building Development Management (DAMS).

FOR PARENTS

How are schools in Westlake?

2 schools nearby

Westlake has 2 schools within reach. Schools include Westlake Primary School.

Matric results: pass rate data currently covers 157 of 744 suburbs.Westlake will surface when DBE suburb-level data is processed in the next pipeline run. About coverage ›
  • Q4
    Westlake Primary School
    Public · Grades R–7 · 774 learners · 33.7:1 learner-educator ratio
  • IND
    Reddam House
    Independent · Grades R–12 · 1,160 learners · 12.5:1 learner-educator ratio
    PrivateQuintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size

Quintile 5 is the highest government-funding category - fees apply, but these are the best-resourced public schools in South Africa. Rankings set by the WCED against community socioeconomic index. Learner-educator ratio (LER) is from EMIS Q2 2025; under 30:1 is favourable by WCED standards, over 40:1 indicates strained capacity. What quintile means ›

Source: DBE EMIS · Q2 2025

FOR COMMUTERS

How connected is Westlake?

Private vehicle dominant

Westlake has 8 minibus taxi routes. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (76%).

Taxi connectivityRanks this suburb's taxi route access against all 744 Cape Town suburbs. Based on routes matched by name and within 500m of suburb centre. Large suburbs may have higher actual connectivity than shown.Full methodology ›

Limited connectivity
8 routes
33rd percentile · 9 destinations
Pollsmoor, Retreat, Steenberg, Westlake, Westlake - blue route, Westlake - retreat +3 more
Based on CCT minibus taxi route data. Routes matched by name and spatial proximity (500m). Methodology ›

Commute mode share

Anyone relocating to Westlake needs a car. The 76% private vehicle share is a socioeconomic profile signal, not a walkability score – in working-class Cape Town suburbs the same walking rate indicates structural necessity. Here it is lifestyle choice.
Private vehicle
76%
Walking
9%
MyCiTi bus
2%
Minibus taxi
11%
Cape Town transport context: In South African cities, transport mode is a socioeconomic proxy – high private vehicle = affluent, high minibus taxi = working class, high walking = structural necessity not preference. StreetSignal reports modal share rather than a walkability index, which would misrepresent SA urban mobility. Methodology ›
Dominant mode
Private vehicle (76%)
Source
CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Westlake?

Full municipal services

Westlake has a service delivery index of 98 out of 100, above the city median of 84.5. 90% of dwellings are formal structures.

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey, Lakeside/Marina da Gama/Westlake survey group (118 households). direct.

› High digital connectivity: 80% of households have home internet access.

Access to basic services

98City median: 85
Piped water
97.0%
Flush toilet
99.2%
Weekly refuse
97.3%
Grid electricity
100.0%

Housing & tenure – Mixed tenure community

90City median: 68
Formal dwellings
89.5%
Owner-occupied
53.2%
Rented
25.5%

Environmental risk – Low risk exposure

9risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26
Flooding risk
2.3%
Fire risk
0.8%
Violent crime
0.0%
Non-violent crime
6.1%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share
36.7%
Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 53rd percentile
Hardship dimensions
0
Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share
14.0%
of households receiving grants
Monthly savings
R749
Weighted mean per household

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre
80.1%
City median: 46.5%
Mobile only
15.8%
No access
4.1%

Food security

Adult food insecurity
2.3%
City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity
1.9%
City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence
6.8%
City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size
2.5 people
Avg children per household
0.4

Asset ownership

Computer access
68.3%
Fridge ownership
98.9%
Property ownership
0.8%
Geyser ownership
78.5%
Borehole access
10.9%

Home-based economy

Home-based business
11.4%
of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time
6.6%

Source: City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey. Survey group: Lakeside/Marina da Gama/Westlake. direct.

Energy access
23%
Free basic electricity
5.6%
City median

23% of electricity connections in Westlake receive free basic electricity under the City's indigent support programme. Free basic electricity is a constitutional entitlement providing a monthly allocation to qualifying households. The proportion reflects the reach of the City's indigent support in this suburb, not a measure of poverty.

Source: CCT prepaid electricity data (2025/11/30 to 2026/01/31). Covers prepaid connections only. Credit-metered households are not included. 3,094 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Westlake?

Highly responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Westlake in a median of 1 day, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 2,884 service requests to the City of Cape Town.

Computed from City of Cape Town service request data
Infrastructure problems get fixed fast. The median resolution under one day means Westlake residents experience responsive municipal service – a signal of well-maintained infrastructure and efficient complaint routing.
1
Median days to resolve
City median: 1
97th
Percentile
across Cape Town
34%
Resolved
same day
Power outage (11%)Sewerage overflow (7%)Damaged Bin - 240L (7%)Stolen Bins - 240L (5%)Street lights out (4%)
Service requests logged
2 884
Requests resolved
78% (2 260 of 2 884)
75% resolved within
5 days
90% resolved within
13 days
Source
CCT service request database
Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Near city average
Complaint rate How is this calculated?
1458.0 per 1,000 households
Total complaints
2 882
Unresolved
22.0%

Top issues: Power outage (304), Sewerage overflow (201), Damaged Bin - 240L (191)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

MUNICIPAL FINANCE

Municipal debt in Westlake

101% above city median
Computed from City of Cape Town financial data

Municipal debt in Westlake averages R17 697 per account, compared to the city median of R8 815.

R17 697
per account
101% above city median
Trend:Mar 2026: R17 376Apr 2026: R20 845May 2026: R17 697
Breakdown as of May 2026
Property rates
R6 514 923
Electricity
R4 623 493
Water
R2 123 738
Refuse
R487 794
Sewerage
R1 215 427
City-wide cleaning
R360 420
Improvement district
R0

Outstanding municipal arrears from City of Cape Town financial records. Coverage: 741 suburbs. Per-account figures available for 582 suburbs.

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Westlake?

Well served

Healthcare access

6 within 5km
Nearest public
Westlake Clinic · Community Day Centre · 0.6 km
Nearest private
Melomed Tokai · Private Hospital · 2.3 km
Public facilities
5
Private facilities
1

This suburb has access to both public and private healthcare within 5 km.

The nearest fire station to Westlake is Lakeside, 1.8 km away. The nearest public pool is Retreat Swimming Pool, 3.9 km away. The nearest clinic is Westlake Clinic, 0.6 km away.

Nearest clinic
Westlake Clinic · 0.6 km
Nearest library
Tokai · 2 km
Nearest park / open space
Westlake Pos · 0.71 km

Fire station

1.8
km to nearest
fire station
Lakeside
divisional hq
within-5km
response
category

Cape Town has 32 fire stations serving 744 suburbs. Source: CCT open data.

Public swimming pools

3.9
km to nearest
public pool
2
pools
within 5 km
3
pools
within 10 km
Nearest pool
Retreat Swimming Pool

Cape Town operates 35 public swimming pools. Source: CCT open data.

Distances straight-line from suburb centroid.

Source: City of Cape Town facility registry

Nearby suburbs

Kirstenhof1.5km · R3.1M
33
Tokai1.6km · R4.5M
41
Lakeside1.9km · R2.6M
32
Steenberg3.0km · R660K
44
Muizenberg3.9km · R1.8M
28
Explore surrounding areas

Bordering suburbs

4 adjacent

Suburbs that border or sit adjacent to Westlake. Each has its own safety profile, property market, and service data.

Data as of: Safety: Q4 2025/2026 | Property: GV2022 | Schools: EMIS Q2 2025 | Household: CCT Survey Feb-Oct 2024 | Facilities: March 2026 | Electricity: Jan 2024 - Feb 2026 | Water billing: Dec 2020 - Feb 2026 | Electricity billing: Dec 2020 - Feb 2026 | Municipal arrears: Jan 2025 - May 2026

Next refresh: when SAPS publishes Q1 2026/2027 (typically about 3 months after the period closes).

Data sources & legal attribution
SAPS Crime StatsCCT Open DataStats SADBE SchoolsCCT Household SurveyCCT Service Requests

South African Police Service, via DataFirst (UCT). SAPS crime statistics, 2019-2026 [dataset]. DOI: 10.25828/5MAW-4H90. CC-BY 4.0.

City of Cape Town. City of Cape Town open data, 2022–2025 [dataset]. CCT Open Data Policy 27781.

Statistics South Africa. Stats SA Census 2022, 2022 [dataset]. Stats SA standard terms (permissive). Analysis is the user's own and not endorsed by Stats SA.

Department of Basic Education, EMIS (Western Cape Q2 2025; Gauteng Q3 2025). DBE EMIS masterlist and public school data, 2023-2025 [dataset]. Source. CC-BY 4.0.

City of Cape Town. CCT Household Survey 2024, 2024 [dataset]. CCT Open Data Policy 27781.

City of Cape Town. CCT Service Requests (C3), 2025–2026 [dataset]. CCT Open Data Policy 27781.

Spot an error or have a correction? Email [email protected].

Building on this data? Access all 744 suburbs via the free REST API or explore commercial access.

This map is available on desktop browsers. For assistance interpreting location data, email usor visit the data sources page.