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Lotus River

Safety 33/100 Safer than 39% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) Property 6-800k Top 69% Schools 12 85% matric pass rate Healthcare 10 facilities more access than most suburbs Council Near avg complaints 2d median resolution Transport Minibus taxi coverage well-connected area

Data current as of

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Lotus River is a neighbourhood in Southern Suburbs, Cape Town, where property values are moderate by Cape Town standards. 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 Grassy Park SAPS precinct.

How is the area changing?

In Lotus River, crime is rising based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have broadly tracked inflation between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

Lotus River is well-served by schools, and matric results sit slightly below the city average. In this area, service complaints are generally resolved within a few days. 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 Lotus River safe?

Higher reported crime

31st percentile among 744 suburbs · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Very high Absolute crime volume
15 936 reported crimes per year · city median: 10 468
↑ 4.0% 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? 33 / 100
Contact crime rate 843,667 per 100k residents
Station population 108 019
Harm rate (per resident) 52/100
Harm volume (absolute) 21/100
Data period Q3 2025/2026 (Oct–Dec 2025)
Source SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Grassy Park precinct, which covers Lotus 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 Lotus River?

31st percentile

Planned development

24 hectares of land in Lotus River are earmarked for new development across 4 parcels, primarily High Density Residential (24ha).

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

The median property value in Lotus River is R1M. Property values have grown by 4.8% per year since 2018.

A 4.8% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.
Value band distribution – Lotus 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 R1,000,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022) +4.8% per year ↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile 31st 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 Lotus River?

12 schools nearby

Lotus River has 12 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 85.2%, below the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Al-Azhar Primary School.

Adjusted pass rate
85.2%
City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing
1
48 candidates
Median quintile
Q5
Q4-Q5
IND
Al-Azhar Primary School
Independent · Grades R–7 · 591 learners · 23.6:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateQuintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Lotus River Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 562 learners · 28.1:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q4
Parkwood Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 687 learners · 29.9:1 learner-educator ratio
Favourable class size
Q5
Perivale Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 774 learners · 32.2:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees apply
Q4
Montagu'S Gift Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 471 learners · 29.4:1 learner-educator ratio
Favourable class size
Q5
Plantation Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 772 learners · 28.6:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
St. Clements Rc Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 295 learners · 32.8:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees apply
Q5
Buck Road Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 918 learners · 34:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees apply
Q4
Stephenweg Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 546 learners · 34.1:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Zeekoevlei Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 867 learners · 34.7:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Die Duine Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 1,141 learners · 34.6:1 learner-educator ratio
Q5
Lotus Sekondêr
Public · Grades 8–12 · 363 learners · 15.8:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 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 Lotus River?

Vehicle-led mix

Lotus River has 11 minibus taxi routes. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (55%).

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 ›

Moderate connectivity
11 routes
42nd percentile · 9 destinations
Hanover park, Lotus river, Mitchells plain, Muizenberg, Ottery, Plumstead +3 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 Lotus River – consider proximity to work when evaluating.
Private vehicle
55%
Walking
11%
MyCiTi bus
12%
Minibus taxi
23%
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 (55%)
Source CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Lotus River?

Full municipal services

Lotus River has a service delivery index of 95.8 out of 100, above the city median of 84.5. 77% of dwellings are formal structures.

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey , Lotus River survey group (49 households). direct.

10% of households report adult food insecurity
› food spending share of 36.0% places households in the "comfortable" band (city median: 32.1%).› Adult food insecurity at 10.5% (above the city median of 2.9%).› Service delivery score of 95.8/100 indicates reliable access to municipal infrastructure.› 76% of dwellings are formal structures.› Fibre internet available to 69% of households.

Access to basic services

96 City median: 85
Piped water
88.3%
Flush toilet
95.7%
Weekly refuse
99.3%
Grid electricity
100.0%

Housing & tenure – Mixed tenure community

77 City median: 68
Formal dwellings
76.5%
Owner-occupied
55.9%
Rented
16.7%

Environmental risk – Low risk exposure

6 risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26
Flooding risk
2.4%
Fire risk
0.0%
Violent crime
1.4%
Non-violent crime
2.4%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share
36.0%
Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 55th percentile
Hardship dimensions
1
Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share
48.0%
of households receiving grants
Monthly savings
R254
Weighted mean per household

Spending priorities – top priority: Electricity

Electricity
68.8%
of households prioritise
Food
66.6%
of households prioritise
Petrol/transport
27.7%
of households prioritise
School fees
18.2%
of households prioritise
Rent/bond
18.2%
of households prioritise

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre
68.8%
City median: 46.5%
Mobile only
18.4%
No access
12.9%

Food security

Adult food insecurity
10.5%
City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity
1.4%
City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence
12.4%
City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size
4.0 people
Avg children per household
1.1

Asset ownership

Computer access
40.1%
Fridge ownership
94.8%
Property ownership
2.4%
Geyser ownership
58.3%
Borehole access
7.2%

Home-based economy

Home-based business
15.8%
of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time
2.4%
WFH part-time
2.4%

How Lotus River compares

Food insecurity 43% below the city average for adult food insecurity
Material hardship 40% below the city average for material hardship
Asset ownership 15% above the city average for household asset ownership
Digital access 48% above the city average for home internet access

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

Energy access
30%
Free basic electricity
5.6%
City median

30% of electricity connections in Lotus 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. 13,554 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Lotus River?

Responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Lotus River in a median of 2 days, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 25,483 service requests to the City of Cape Town.

Computed from City of Cape Town service request data
Below-average municipal responsiveness. A 2-day median resolution is slower than the city median – infrastructure complaints take meaningfully longer to resolve.
2
Median days to resolve
City median: 1
32nd
Percentile
across Cape Town
29%
Resolved
same day
Sewerage overflow (19%)Power outage (11%)Street lights out (6%)Suspect Tampering (4%)Single street light out (4%)
Service requests logged 25 483
Requests resolved 77% (19 636 of 25 483)
75% resolved within 6 days
90% resolved within 16 days
Source CCT service request database
Community & faith

Places of worship

24 registered
Christian
22
Islamic
2

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? 2488.2 per 1,000 households
Total complaints 25 419
Unresolved 23.0%

Top issues: SEW: Blocked/Overflow (4 765), No Power (2 839), Street Lights - All Lights Out (1 490)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Lotus River?

Well served

Healthcare access

10 within 5km
Nearest public Klip Road Clinic · Community Day Centre · 0.9 km
Nearest private Mediclinic Constantiaberg · Private Hospital · 4.8 km
Public facilities 9
Private facilities 1

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

The nearest fire station to Lotus River is Ottery, 2.1 km away. The nearest public pool is Wynberg Swimming Pool, 4.2 km away. The nearest clinic is Klip Road Clinic, 0.9 km away.

Nearest clinic Klip Road Clinic · 0.9 km
Nearest library Ottery · 0.7 km
Nearest park / open space Big Lotus River Canal · 0.24 km

Fire station

2.1
km to nearest
fire station
Ottery
divisional hq
within-5km
response
category

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

Public swimming pools

4.2
km to nearest
public pool
3
pools
within 5 km
12
pools
within 10 km
Nearest pool Wynberg 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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Explore surrounding areas

Bordering suburbs

7 adjacent

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

Eagle Park False Bay Coastal Park Grassy Park Ottery Parkwood Philippi Zeekoevlei
Further reading

Related articles

Is Lotus River Safe? 17/100 Safety Score (2026)
2026-04-24
Building on this data? Access all 744 suburbs via the free REST API or explore commercial access.
Explore rankings: Safest suburbs Best for families Affordable + safe

Lotus River · -34.0345°S, 18.5132°E

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