Demographics
At the time of the last official census in 2001,
the city had just under 2.9 million inhabitants – on an area that
included many suburbs that are not officially within city limits. This
number is, of course, much higher now, as there has been a steady flow
of people from rural regions of South Africa opting for a new start in
Cape Town. Seeing how the city is also highly attractive for expats from
all around the world, they are surely another factor contributing to
the fact that Cape Town is popular amongst all kinds of different
people.With almost half of the city’s residents, the majority of people living in Cape Town are Coloured, an ethnic category that is a remnant from apartheid times. One third was classified as being Black African, and about 18% of residents living in the city at the time of the last census were white.
Languages
Three languages you are bound to come across in Cape Town are, ordered by the number of speakers, Afrikaans, Xhosa, and English. The latter is, for all intents and purposes, still the most dominant language of everyday life, and you will most certainly not run into any problems communicating only in English. Which language you hear most is partly also influenced by which neighborhood you live in, as the speakers tend to be rather localized due to various reasons past and present.Crime in Cape Town
In our article on living in South Africa, we have discussed one of the country’s major issues: crime. Living in Cape Town, chances are that you will also witness criminal activity. However, the actual impact of crime on Cape Town remains somewhat controversial. While there are many voices proclaiming the city to be one of the murder capitals of the world and advise expats against going to Cape Town, many expats and locals maintain that, as long as you come prepared and stay vigilant, there is not much to worry about.What cannot be denied, however, is the fact that murder, theft, burglary, robbery, and rape are very much part of everyday life for a large portion of the populace. In many parts of the city, crime is rampant. For the most part, these are the suburbs expats do not consider when looking for apartments – and with good cause. We have taken a detailed look on Cape Town’s neighborhoods in our article on moving to Cape Town.
There is, of course, a myriad of reasons which made crime a sad reality of life in the city. Many of the old divides that decades of apartheid rule have firmly instilled as a normal aspect of living in Cape Town and South Africa in general can still be felt today. The number of people living on less than 1USD a day is still high in Cape Town. Countermeasures have long been taken and are showing effects, so there still is hope to get the problem under control and ensure a safe, dignified life, both for citizens and expats.
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