Fernwood has a safety index of 75 out of 100 (Lower reported crime). This is a relative measure comparing reported crime across Cape Town suburbs, not an absolute safety guarantee. The Somerset West precinct recorded approximately 8,016 crimes in the most recent annual period. Absolute crime volume is below the city average.

Is Fernwood affordable?

Fernwood sits in the mid-range for Cape Town property values. The median is R2.4M, placing it in the 64th percentile, broadly in line with the city median. Note that these figures are based on the City of Cape Town General Valuation 2022 and reflect municipal valuations, not necessarily current market prices.

Fernwood

Safety 75/100 Safer than 73% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) Property 1.5-2M Top 36% Schools 1 92% matric pass rate Healthcare 8 facilities more access than most suburbs Council Below avg complaints 1d median resolution Transport Minibus taxi coverage well-connected area

Data current as of March 2026

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Fernwood is a neighbourhood in Helderberg, Cape Town, where property values sit in the middle-to-upper range for Cape Town. The area's safety profile is among the more challenging areas for reported safety in Cape Town. Policing falls under the Somerset West SAPS precinct.

How is the area changing?

In Fernwood, crime levels are stable based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property value growth has lagged behind inflation between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

Fernwood is served by schools within reach, and matric results are broadly in line with the city average. 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 Fernwood safe?

Lower reported crime

Higher crime Moderate Lower crime

83rd percentile among 744 suburbs · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Low Absolute crime volume

8 016 reported crimes per year · city median: 10 468

↓ 2.2% vs Q3 2024

Crime is low by Cape Town standards. Contact crime (assault, robbery) dominates the reported crime profile.

Detailed data

Safety index (resident-adjusted) How is this calculated? 75 / 100

Contact crime rate 401,600 per 100k residents

Station population 67 476

Harm rate (per resident) 78/100

Harm volume (absolute) 72/100

Data period Q3 2025/2026 (Oct–Dec 2025)

Source SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Somerset West precinct, which covers Fernwood 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 Fernwood?

64th percentile

The median property value in Fernwood is R2.4M. Property values have grown by 3.5% per year since 2018.

A 3.5% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.

Value band distribution – Fernwood properties (GV2022)

0-200k

1-1.5M

1.5-2M ◀

2-2.5M

2.5-3M

3-3.5M

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 R2,350,000

Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022) +3.5% per year ↑ Growing

City-wide value percentile 64th percentile

Dominant value band 1.5-2M

Source CCT GV 2022 · Open Data Policy 27781

Source: City of Cape Town GV2022

FOR PARENTS

How are schools in Fernwood?

1 school nearby

Fernwood has 1 school within reach. The area matric pass rate is 92.0%, above the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Hope And Light Community Welfare (Npc).

Adjusted pass rate

92.0%

City median: 90.0%

Schools contributing

19 candidates

Median quintile

Q4-Q5

IND

Hope And Light Community Welfare (Npc)

Independent · Grades R–12 · 404 learners · 17.6:1 learner-educator ratio

PrivateFavourable 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 Fernwood?

Moderate connectivity

Fernwood has 13 minibus taxi routes.

Taxi connectivity

Moderate connectivity

13 routes

47th percentile · 12 destinations

Firgrove (r102), Lourensford plaas, Lwandle, Macassar, Sir lowrys pass, Sir lowrys pass town +6 more

Based on CCT minibus taxi route data. Routes matched by name and spatial proximity (500m). Methodology ›

Commute mode data is not available for this suburb. The CCT Household Survey covers 163 survey areas; this suburb is outside the surveyed areas.

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Fernwood?

Highly responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Fernwood in a median of 1 day, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 258 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 Fernwood residents experience responsive municipal service – a signal of well-maintained infrastructure and efficient complaint routing.

Median days to resolve
City median: 1

64th

Percentile
across Cape Town

34%

Resolved
same day

Power outage (10%)No supply (9%)Street lights out (7%)Debit Order - Changes / Terminations (5%)No water 40mm and above (5%)

Service requests logged 258

Requests resolved 84% (216 of 258)

75% resolved within 3 days

90% resolved within 13 days

Source CCT service request database

Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Below city average

Complaint rate How is this calculated? 0.0 per 1,000 households

Total complaints 258

Unresolved 16.0%

Top issues: No Power (26), WAT: No Supply (23), Street Lights - All Lights Out (19)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Fernwood?

Well served

Healthcare access

8 within 5km

Nearest public Ikwezi CDC · Community Day Centre · 1.1 km

Nearest private Mediclinic Vergelegen · Private Hospital · 2.1 km

Public facilities 6

Private facilities 2

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

The nearest fire station to Fernwood is Sir Lowrys Pass, 0.6 km away. The nearest public pool is Strand Swimming Pool, 4.3 km away. The nearest clinic is Ikwezi Cdc, 1.1 km away.

Nearest clinic Ikwezi Cdc · 1.1 km

Nearest library Lwandle · 1.6 km

Nearest park / open space Platinum Street Park · 0.48 km