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Elsies River

Safety 32/100 Safer than 37% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) Property 6-800k Top 75% Schools 3 79% matric pass rate Healthcare 19 facilities more access than most suburbs Council Near avg complaints 4d median resolution Transport Minibus taxi coverage well-connected area

Data current as of

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Elsies River is a neighbourhood in Cape Flats, Cape Town, where property values place it among the more affordable areas in Cape Town. The area's safety profile is among the more challenging areas for reported safety in Cape Town. There is a strong presence of places of worship serving the community. The dominant commuter mode is private vehicle. Policing falls under the Elsies River SAPS precinct.

How is the area changing?

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

What should buyers know?

Elsies River is served by schools within reach, and matric results sit below the city average. In this area, service complaint resolution takes around a week on average. 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 Elsies River safe?

Higher reported crime

95th percentile among 744 suburbs · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

High Absolute crime volume
13 940 reported crimes per year · city median: 10 468
↑ 20.1% vs Q3 2024
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? 32 / 100
Contact crime rate 769,976 per 100k residents
Station population 88 562
Harm rate (per resident) 33/100
Harm volume (absolute) 31/100
Data period Q3 2025/2026 (Oct–Dec 2025)
Source SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

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

Disagree with this score? Challenge the methodology ›

Source: SAPS via DataFirst · Q3 2025/2026

FOR BUYERS & INVESTORS

What do properties cost in Elsies River?

25th percentile

Planned development

2 hectares of land in Elsies River are earmarked for new development across 1 parcel, primarily Medium Density Residential (2ha).

Source: CCT District Spatial Development Framework (January 2023). Development areas indicate planning designation, not construction timelines.

The median property value in Elsies River is R760K. Property values have grown by 3.6% per year since 2018.

A 3.6% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.
Value band distribution – Elsies River 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 R760,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022) +3.6% per year ↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile 25th percentile
Dominant value band 6-800k
Source CCT GV 2022 · Open Data Policy 27781

Source: City of Cape Town GV2022

FOR PARENTS

How are schools in Elsies River?

3 schools nearby

Elsies River has 3 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 79.4%, below the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Norwood Sentraal Primary School.

Adjusted pass rate
79.4%
City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing
2
389 candidates
Median quintile
Q4
Q4-Q5
Q4
Norwood Sentraal Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 521 learners · 26.1:1 learner-educator ratio
Favourable class size
Q4
Elsiesrivier Sekondêr
Public · Grades 8–12 · 1,579 learners · 32.9:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Valhalla Sekondêre Skool
Public · Grades 8–12 · 828 learners · 33.1:1 learner-educator ratio

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 Elsies River?

Vehicle-led mix

Elsies River has 50 minibus taxi routes. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (46%).

Taxi connectivity Ranks 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 ›

Well connected
50 routes
86th percentile · 35 destinations
Bishop lavis, Bonteheuwel, Bothasig, Delft, Delft south, Edgemead +29 more
Based on CCT minibus taxi route data. Routes matched by name and spatial proximity (500m). Methodology ›

Commute mode share

A mixed transport profile. Multiple modes serve Elsies River – consider proximity to work when evaluating.
Private vehicle
46%
Walking
6%
MyCiTi bus
14%
Minibus taxi
32%
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 (46%)
Source CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Elsies River?

Partial service delivery

Elsies River has a service delivery index of 94.9 out of 100, above the city median of 84.5. 74% of dwellings are formal structures.

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey , Elsies River survey group (57 households). direct.

11% of households report adult food insecurity
› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R626) is 0.4× the city median of R1,674.

Access to basic services

95 City median: 85
Piped water
93.9%
Flush toilet
88.3%
Weekly refuse
100.0%
Grid electricity
97.3%

Housing & tenure – Mixed tenure community

74 City median: 68
Formal dwellings
74.0%
Owner-occupied
68.0%
Rented
15.9%

Environmental risk – Moderate risk exposure

19 risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26
Flooding risk
9.4%
Fire risk
1.8%
Violent crime
3.0%
Non-violent crime
4.9%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share
42.8%
Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Under pressure, limited discretionary income · 36th percentile
Hardship dimensions
1
Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share
46.0%
of households receiving grants

Spending priorities – top priority: Food

Food
86.9%
of households prioritise
Electricity
84.7%
of households prioritise
Petrol/transport
52.8%
of households prioritise
School fees
33.5%
of households prioritise
Rent/bond
20.4%
of households prioritise

Digital inclusion – Mixed-access suburb

Home fibre
43.6%
City median: 46.5%
Mobile only
34.4%
No access
18.1%

Food security

Adult food insecurity
11.3%
City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity
11.8%
City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence
9.7%
City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size
3.7 people
Avg children per household
1.1

Asset ownership

Computer access
37.5%
Fridge ownership
89.8%
Property ownership
0.0%
Geyser ownership
59.7%
Borehole access
11.0%

Home-based economy

Home-based business
4.0%
of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time
0.7%

How Elsies River compares

Food insecurity 38% below the city average for adult food insecurity
Material hardship 60% below the city average for material hardship
Food spend share 21% above the city average for food expenditure share
Asset ownership 15% above the city average for household asset ownership

Source: City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey. Survey group: Elsies River. direct.

Energy access
0%
Free basic electricity
5.6%
City median

0% of electricity connections in Elsies River 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. 448 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Elsies River?

Moderate

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Elsies River in a median of 4 days, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 10,051 service requests to the City of Cape Town.

Computed from City of Cape Town service request data
Below-average municipal responsiveness. A 4-day median resolution is slower than the city median – infrastructure complaints take meaningfully longer to resolve.
4
Median days to resolve
City median: 1
3rd
Percentile
across Cape Town
19%
Resolved
same day
Sewerage overflow (9%)Plumbing (9%)Carpentry (7%)Electrical (5%)Street lights out (3%)
Service requests logged 10 051
Requests resolved 53% (5 337 of 10 051)
75% resolved within 13 days
90% resolved within 32 days
Source CCT service request database
Community & faith

Places of worship

16 registered
Christian
15
Islamic
1

Registered places of worship per suburb from City of Cape Town open data. Coverage: 299 of 744 suburbs.

Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Near city average
Complaint rate How is this calculated? 1997.4 per 1,000 households
Total complaints 9 787
Unresolved 47.0%

Top issues: SEW: Blocked/Overflow (861), Plumbing (829), Carpentry (623)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Elsies River?

Well served

Healthcare access

19 within 5km
Nearest public Elsies River Clinic · Community Day Centre · 0.6 km
Nearest private Netcare N1 City Hospital · Private Hospital · 3.7 km
Public facilities 16
Private facilities 3

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

The nearest fire station to Elsies River is Epping, 2.6 km away. The nearest public pool is Elsies River Swimming Pool, 0.3 km away. The nearest clinic is Elsies River Clinic, 0.6 km away.

Nearest clinic Elsies River Clinic · 0.6 km
Nearest library Elsies River · 0.5 km
Nearest park / open space Sleepy Hollow Park · 0.44 km

Fire station

2.6
km to nearest
fire station
Epping
community station
within-5km
response
category

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

Public swimming pools

0.3
km to nearest
public pool
7
pools
within 5 km
19
pools
within 10 km
Nearest pool Elsies River 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

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Goodrail R6-800k
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Thembokwezi R4-600k
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Explore surrounding areas

Bordering suburbs

8 adjacent

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

Avon Avonwood Balvenie Elnor Leonsdale Riverton Elsies River Ruyterwacht The Range
Further reading

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Elsies River · -33.9259°S, 18.5706°E

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