Who buys here
Lightstone data, reported in July 2026 by Daily Investor and BusinessTech, put foreign-buyer participation in the Cape Town CBD at 39% across 1,259 transactions. For Tamboerskloof the same data says properties bought by foreign buyers are currently valued 39% higher than those of South African buyers.
Those two 39% figures measure different things: one is a share of transactions, the other a gap in value. Do not read them as the same number.
Why the Cape Town Central figures need care
SAPS counts crime by police precinct, not by suburb. The Cape Town Central precinct covers the centre of the city and the suburbs around it, so these are precinct-wide figures. For April 2025 to March 2026 it recorded 16,722 crimes, almost unchanged on the year before. The newest quarter, April to June 2026, recorded 4,380 crimes against 3,970 in the same quarter of 2025. One quarter is only an early sign.
Theft from vehicles was 1,871 and common robbery 1,428. Aggravated robbery was 516 and residential burglary 206. Residential burglary is the smallest of those four. The larger ones are the kinds of crime that happen on busy streets and in parking areas, in a place where many people work, shop and pass through.
That is the reading for an absent owner: a count shaped by the busy centre does not describe a quiet residential street higher up the slopes. Two homes inside this one precinct can be in very different surroundings, and the figure cannot tell them apart. It is a reason to ask about your own street, not a measure of it.
Flats, houses and shared entrances
A sectional-title flat has a body corporate and shared access control that you do not control alone: the entrance, any lift and the garage are run by the scheme. A standalone house has nothing shared, so the gate, wall and keys are yours to arrange.
In either case, an absent owner is exposed to the same practical gap: nobody noticing a problem for days. Agree who looks, and what they report.
Questions to ask before you leave
Because the precinct figure is the centre's figure, make the questions about your own address. Ask us what we can do about keys and reports, and compare the answers with other providers.
- Ask for what is known about your own street or block, not the precinct count.
- Ask who in the building or street sees the entrance during the day and at night.
- Ask the body corporate how access cards are issued and withdrawn.
- Ask how a visitor or contractor is let in while you are away, and who records it.
- Ask what is reported to you after any incident nearby.
- Check the provider's PSiRA registration on the PSiRA website.
Questions people ask
Does the 16,722 figure describe Gardens or Tamboerskloof?
Not directly. It is a count for the whole Cape Town Central precinct, shaped by the busy centre. A quiet residential street is a different setting.
Are the two 39% figures the same thing?
No. For the CBD, 39% is foreign-buyer participation across 1,259 transactions. For Tamboerskloof, 39% is how much higher foreign-bought properties are currently valued.
Is residential burglary the main count in Cape Town Central?
No. Residential burglary was 206, the smallest of the four categories shown. Theft from vehicles was 1,871, common robbery 1,428 and aggravated robbery 516.
Sources
- Daily Investor: The most expensive suburb in South Africa, where two out of every three properties are sold to foreigners (Lightstone data)
- BusinessTech: Wealthy foreigners are taking over one of South Africa's richest seaside villages (Lightstone data)
- Business Day: How foreign buyers snapped up R153bn in Cape Town luxury homes in ten years (individual buyers only, companies and trusts excluded)
- South African Police Service: crime statistics by police precinct
Foreign-buyer figures: Lightstone data reported in July 2026, individual buyers only, companies and trusts excluded.
Own a home here and live abroad?
Tell us about the property and when you are away. We will tell you plainly what we can and cannot do.