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84-572: Durbanville , previously called Pampoenkraal, is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa , part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area . It is a semi-rural residential suburb on the north-eastern outskirts of the metropolis surrounded by farms producing wine and wheat . Precolonial period (before 1652) The first modern humans indigenous to the Cape area included the Khoina and

168-506: A chevron between in chief two six-pointed stars Sable and in base a bunch of grapes proper, three garbs Or . In layman's term, the shield is gold and depicts, from top to bottom, two black six-pointed stars, a blue chevron bearing three golden sheaves of wheat, and a bunch of grapes. The crest was a red sphinx charged with three golden rings, and the motto Sit nomine digna . Western Cape The Western Cape ( Afrikaans : Wes-Kaap [ˈvɛskɑːp] ; Xhosa : iNtshona-Koloni )

252-549: A different style of wine produced within the valley. Welgegund, situated just outside Durbanville along Malanshoogte Road, is a dairy farm owned by Fair Cape, which is one of the largest dairy producers in the Western Cape. Established in 1955 with just 64 cows on the farm, today Welgegund now has 5625 cows with each of them delivering 40 litres of milk daily. The historical town centre, the Durbanville CBD remains

336-665: A government, and Morkel remained Premier. In 2000 the DP and the NNP formalised their coalition by forming the Democratic Alliance (DA). In 2001, however, the NNP broke with the DA over the removal of Peter Marais from office as Mayor of Cape Town by DA leader Tony Leon . The NNP instead went into coalition with the ANC; Gerald Morkel, who was opposed to the split, resigned as Premier and

420-569: A group of local farmers requested permission from Lord Charles Somerset (governor of the Cape Colony at that time) to build their own church. The Dutch Reformed Church was commenced in 1825 and inaugurated a year later on 6 August 1826. A small village grew between the church and the outspan (overnight stop). During 1836 the inhabitants of Pampoenkraal petitioned the Governor of the Cape Colony , Sir Benjamin d'Urban , for permission to rename

504-460: A lack of fresh water in the region meant that it has only recently been used as a harbour. The province's main harbour was built in Table Bay , which in its natural state was fully exposed to the northwesterly storms that bring rain to the province in winter, as well as the almost uninterrupted dry southeasterly winds in summer. But fresh water coming off Table Mountain and Devil's Peak allowed

588-716: A long tradition of holding liberal values. For example, the Cape Qualified Franchise before the Union of South Africa. The Cape Qualified Franchise was the system of non-racial franchise that was adhered to in the Cape Colony , and in the Cape Province in the early years of the Union of South Africa . Qualifications for the right to vote at parliamentary elections were applied equally to all men, regardless of race. This local system of multi-racial suffrage

672-466: A population boom in Durbanville with former farmland been given over to large gated estates such as Pinehurst, Graanendal and Clara Anna Fontein. This has gradually changed the image of the town to more of a high-income area and one of the most sought-after northern suburbs of Cape Town. As a result of the growth, many roads in and around Durbanville have had to be extended in order to accommodate

756-621: A social movement for political consciousness. In December 1968, the South African Student Organization (SASO) was formed at a conference held in Marianhill, Natal. The conference was exclusively attended by Black students. After its launch, SASO became the medium through which black consciousness ideology spread to schools and other university campuses across the country. In 1974, South African Minister of Bantu Education and Development MC Botha, constituted

840-428: Is a province of South Africa , situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of 129,449 square kilometres (49,981 sq mi), and the third most populous , with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020. About two-thirds of these inhabitants live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town , which is also the provincial capital. The Western Cape

924-614: Is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape and on the east by the Eastern Cape . The total land area of the province is 129,462 square kilometres (49,986 sq mi), about 10.6% of the country's total. It is roughly the size of England or the State of Louisiana . Its capital city and largest city is Cape Town , and some other major cities include Stellenbosch , Worcester , Paarl , and George . The Garden Route and

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1008-551: Is currently situated behind the Durbanville Children's Home . The spring was designated by the VOC (Dutch East India Company, Dutch : Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) in the mid-1600s to be used as a water replenishment station for travelers on their way from Cape Town to the interior of southern Africa. In 1661 rhinoceros and ostrich were known to inhabit the area. Durbanville was originally known as Pampoenkraal (from

1092-560: Is dominated by Karoo drought-resistant shrubbery . The West Coast and Little Karoo are semi-arid regions and are typified by many species of succulents and drought-resistant shrubs and acacia trees. The Garden Route on the south coast (between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Southern Indian Ocean ) is extremely lush, with temperate rainforest (or Afromontane Forest ) covering many areas adjacent to

1176-458: Is home to fifteen wine farms spread out along the scenic Tygerberg Hills, many of which offer wine tastings and fine dining. The valley is also dubbed as the "Sauvignon Blanc Country" owing to the amount of sauvignon blanc produced here which is favoured by winemakers for its cooler climate (by comparison to the Boland wine region) influenced by the winds of Table Bay and False Bay resulting in

1260-511: Is now part of the City of Cape Town it is still a town in its own right. Durbanville is situated in the northern suburbs of Cape Town , approximately 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) north-east of the city, bordered by Bellville to the south, Brackenfell to the south-east and Kraaifontein to the east. It lies at an altitude of between 100 m (328 ft) to 240 m (787 ft), in the vast rolling hills of Tygerberg and Koeberg. The Durbanville Wine Valley

1344-686: Is situated adjacent the established Atlas Gardens Business Park is currently one of the fastest-growing light industrial areas in the Greater Cape Town metropolitan area. Notable companies such as Curro (the largest independent education provider in Southern Africa ), Stadio Holdings (an independent higher education provider in South Africa), Xneelo (South African web hosting company) and Puma South Africa have their head offices in Durbanville. In recent years, there has been

1428-752: Is surrounded by a number of stoning quarries on the Tygerberg Hills with companies such as Afrimat, Portland and Ciolli Bros operating in the area. The Greater Durbanville area has two areas of light industry, both situated just outside the town, with the Durbanville Industrial Park to the east, along the R302 and the Atlantic Hills/Atlas Gardens area to the west, near the N7. The Atlantic Hills Business Park, which

1512-413: The 2004 election , there was again no absolute winner in the provincial parliament; this time the ANC won 19 seats, the DA won 12, and the NNP won 5. The ANC-NNP coalition continued in power, but van Schalkwyk took up a ministerial post in the national cabinet and was replaced as Premier by the ANC's Ebrahim Rasool . The NNP was finally dissolved after the 2005 floor-crossing period and its members joined

1596-462: The Afrikaans words pampoen meaning pumpkin , and kraal meaning corral - an enclosure for livestock). This name was attributed to the town because of a pumpkin patch which grew alongside a dam located behind the current Town Hall. Due to the natural spring, Pampoenkraal became a preferred resting place for travellers before continuing on their journey into the interior. During the late 1600s,

1680-712: The City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa . It is the urban north-eastern part of the Greater Cape Town metropolitan area (Cape Metropole) that is functionally merged with Cape Town . The northern suburbs of Cape Town are experiencing human trafficking , as of October 2023 they have encountered 74 human trafficking victims, 42 labour trafficking victims, 9 victims of unspecified trafficking activities, 23 sex trafficking victims, and an estimated overall sum of 250 000 victims in South Africa. The region extends from Goodwood in

1764-643: The House of Assembly in 1960. Coloured voters similarly followed in 1958 and 1970 , respectively. The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. The BCM represented

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1848-462: The Khoisan tribes. The indigenous people lived in the Cape and its surrounding coastal areas dating as far back as 60 000 years ago. They migrated from the interior of the country, what is today the Northern Cape province, and from Botswana and Namibia to the Cape. Dutch colonial period (1652-1795) Durbanville's inception can be traced to a fresh water spring located in the town. The spring

1932-798: The M124 (Eversdal Road). It is connected to Milnerton via the M13 . It is connected to Vissershok via the M48 (Vissershok Road). It is connected to Philadelphia via the M58 (Koeberg Road; Adderley Road). It is connected to Brackenfell via the M73 (De Bron Road), the M100 (Brackenfell Boulevard) and the M137 (Okavango Road). It is connected to Kraaifontein via the M15 (Langeberg Road) and

2016-754: The M137 (Okavango Road). The two nature reserves in Durbanville include the Durbanville Nature Reserve situated adjacent the racecourse along Race Course Road and the Uitkamp Wetland Nature Reserve situated in D'Urbanvale, north of Durbanville. Affectionately known as the "Jewel of the North", the Durbanville Golf Club is a large 18-hole golf course that was opened in 1967 and is located south of

2100-618: The Overberg are popular coastal tourism areas. The Western Cape is the southernmost region of the African continent with Cape Agulhas as its southernmost point, only 3,800 kilometres (2,400 mi) from the Antarctic coastline. The coastline varies from sandy between capes, to rocky to steep and mountainous in places. The only natural harbour is Saldanha Bay on the west coast, about 140 kilometres (90 mi) north of Cape Town. However

2184-572: The Overberg on the south coast have a maritime climate with cool, moist winters and mild, moist summers. Mossel Bay in the Garden Route is considered to have the second mildest climate worldwide after Hawaii. The La Niña phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle tends to increase rainfall in this region in the dry season (November to April). The effects of El Niño on rainfall in southern Africa differ between

2268-655: The Referendum Party , Freedom Front Plus and organisations such as the Cape Independence Advocacy Group and CapeXit, wish to bring forth the constitutional and peaceful secession of the Western Cape. Proponents claim substantial support for the idea, with CapeXit having over 800,000 signed mandates in May 2021. Additionally, a poll conducted in 2023 by Victory Research on behalf of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group claimed that 58% of

2352-522: The University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) organised marches. Poster parades by UWC and Black Power Salute marches by UCT was broken by the police, resulting in 73 students getting arrested and detained at Victor Verster Prison , near Paarl. On 1 September 1976, the unrest spread to the city of Cape Town itself. Approximately 2000 black students from Western Cape townships, namely Langa, Nyanga and Gugulethu, matched

2436-562: The national constitution ; these responsibilities include agriculture, education, environment, health services, housing, language policies, tourism, trade, and welfare. The provincial parliament also elects the Premier of the Western Cape to lead the provincial executive. Alan Winde , a member of the DA and former Provincial Minister of Community Safety, has served as Premier since the 2019 provincial election . The Premier appoints ten members of

2520-563: The "R" roads which connect the smaller towns. All major roads are tarred with major rural gravel roads well maintained. Limited access motorways are limited to the Cape Metropolitan Area, Winelands and Garden Route, however due to the low population density of the remainder of the province, the highways remain efficient and high-speed, except during peak holiday travel seasons, when travel can be slow-going in places due to heavy traffic. The 2022 South African census recorded

2604-508: The ANC, again giving that party an absolute majority of 24 seats. In the 2007 floor-crossing period the ANC gained a further three members of the provincial parliament. In 2008 Rasool resigned as Premier due to internal party politics, and was replaced by Lynne Brown . The 2009 election marked a significant change in Western Cape politics, as the Democratic Alliance won 51% of the votes and an absolute majority of 22 seats in

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2688-633: The Cape Town area. According to a report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the Western Cape experienced the second highest number of deaths and casualties associated with the 1976 uprising protests. In 1994, at the introduction of the Interim Constitution and the first non-racial election , South Africa's original provinces and bantustans were abolished and nine new provinces were established. The former Cape Province

2772-463: The Cape Town central business district (CBD). Coloured students also contributed to the protests by peacefully marching to the city, but were blockaded by the police in the CBD. The protests turned violent when coloured students started burning schools, libraries and a magistrate's court in support of the student revolt. Thereafter, 200,000 coloured workers partook in a two-day strike staying away from work in

2856-632: The Durbanville CBD. One of the main attractions which draws visitors to Durbanville is the Hollywoodbets Durbanville Racecourse, established in 1922 and is one of the only two horse race courses in the Western Cape along with Kenilworth in the Southern Suburbs . Situated just south-west of the CBD, it has a left-handed oval course with a circumference of around 2200m and a home straight of roughly 600m. In August 2022, Cape Racing announced Hollywoodbets as

2940-602: The Durbanville Community Day Centre is a government-funded clinic operated by the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness. Cape Winelands Airport is located approximately 13 km NE of Durbanville. Located in the Western Cape winelands, Cape Winelands Airport (formerly Fisantekraal Airfield) is an ex–South African Airforce airfield now operating privately as a general flying airfield and used for aviation training. Of

3024-475: The Greater Cape Town metropolitan area. The Northern Suburbs mainly lies along the N1 freeway which traverses through Goodwood, Parow, Bellville, Brackenfell and Kraaifontein, routing traffic north-east from Cape Town to Paarl and Worcester . The R300 freeway (Kuils River Freeway) connects the northern suburbs of Bellville, Brackenfell and Kuilsrivier with Mitchells Plain to the south. The N7 freeway lies to

3108-637: The Province's most inland boundary. The escarpment marks the southwestern edge of South Africa's central plateau (see the middle and bottom diagrams on the left). It runs parallel to the entire South African coastline, except in the very far northeast, where it is interrupted by the Limpopo River valley, and in the far northwest, where it is interrupted by the Orange River valley. The 1,000-kilometre-long (620 mi) northeastern stretch of

3192-509: The Provincial Treasury. Politically, the Western Cape is a stronghold for the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA has won an absolute majority of the vote in the province in every national, provincial, and municipal election since 2009 . The Western Cape Province is divided into one metropolitan municipality and five district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 24 local municipalities . In

3276-505: The Rust-en-Vrede complex, originally erected in 1850. A village management board was established in 1897 and a municipality in 1901. The first mayor elected was John King. The village grew rapidly after the turn of the 19th century and a local wagon industry developed. The King Brothers Wagon Works' used to be South Africa 's biggest wagon works. At the turn of the century, it employed more than 200 men, which just about accounted for

3360-483: The VOC allocated farms to free burghers situated around the town. Some of those farms are still in existence today, many of which are renowned for their wine production. These include Bloemendal, Meerendal, Diemersdal and Altydgedacht. British colonial period (1795-1902) The first portions of land were earmarked as residential properties and allocated in 1806, signifying the start and development of Durbanville. In 1825

3444-756: The Western Cape's GDP. 95% of wine produced in South Africa is produced in the Western Cape. South Africa is the 7th largest wine producing region in the world. The Western Cape has an excellent network of highways comparable with any first-world country. The primary highways are the N1 (from Cape Town to Three Sisters , continuing outside the province towards Bloemfontein and Johannesburg ), N2 (from Cape Town to Bloukrans River, towards Port Elizabeth ), N7 (from Cape Town to Bitterfontein, continuing towards Springbok and Namibia ), N9 (from George to Uniondale, continuing towards Graaff-Reinet and Colesberg ) and N12 (from George to Three Sisters, continuing towards Kimberley and Johannesburg). Other routes are

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3528-482: The Western Cape's registered voters would support independence, while 68% would support a referendum on the issue. The provincial government is established under the Constitution of the Western Cape , which was adopted in 1998. The people of the province elect the 42-member Western Cape Provincial Parliament every five years by a system of party-list proportional representation . The sixth provincial parliament

3612-449: The biggest sector in the Western Cape's economy is the financial, business services and real estate sector, which constitutes 33.55% of gross value added, followed by manufacturing at 14.26% and wholesale and retail trade, hotels, and restaurants at 13.67%. High-tech industries, international call centres, fashion design, advertising and TV production are niche industries rapidly gaining in importance. Cape Town accounts for roughly 73% of

3696-557: The boom including Jip de Jäger Road, Legato Road, Okavango Road and Brackenfell Boulevard. The Durbanville CBD has also seen high levels of investment over the past few years, with the upgrading of De Ville Centre, Durbanville Town Centre and Midville Centre and the recent launch of The Village Square. This has resulted in small-scale gentrification in the CBD and hence an increase in coffee shops and street-side cafes and restaurants. However, Durbanville still boasts large quantities of farmland and smallholdings along its borders, despite

3780-541: The coast, in the deep river valleys and along the southern slopes of the Outeniqua mountain range. Typical species are hardwoods of exceptional height, such as Yellowwood , Stinkwood and Ironwood trees. The Western Cape is climatologically diverse, with many distinct micro- and macroclimates created by the varied topography and the influence of the surrounding ocean currents. These are the warm Agulhas Current which flows southwards along South Africa's east coast, and

3864-641: The cold Benguela Current which is an upwelling current from the depths of the South Atlantic Ocean along South Africa's west coast. Thus climatic statistics can vary greatly over short distances. Most of the province is considered to have a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Both the Great Karoo and Little Karoo , in the interior, have an arid to semi-arid climate with cold, frosty winters and hot summers with occasional thunderstorms . The Garden Route and

3948-552: The early European settlers to build Cape Town on the shores of this less than satisfactory anchorage. The province is topographically exceptionally diverse. Most of the province falls within the Cape Fold Belt , a set of nearly parallel ranges of sandstone folded mountains of Cambrian - Ordovician age (the age of the rocks is from 510 to about 330 million years ago; their folding into mountains occurred about 350 to about 270 million years ago). The height of

4032-539: The entire United Kingdom. It is characterised by various types of shrubs, thousands of herbaceous flowering plant species and some grasses. With the exception of the Silver tree, Leucadendron argenteum , which only grows on the granite and clay soils of the Cape Peninsula , open fynbos is generally treeless except in the wetter mountain ravines where patches of Afromontane forest persist. The arid interior

4116-486: The entire village. Post-Apartheid (1994-) In 1996, Durbanville lost its municipal status and was dissolved into the Tygerberg Municipality along with Bellville , Parow and Goodwood as part of the transition in local government. As of 2000, Durbanville was amalgamated into the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality and is effectively a suburb of the City of Cape Town. Although Durbanville

4200-772: The escarpment is called the Drakensberg , which is geographically and geologically quite distinct from the Cape Fold Mountains , which originated much earlier and totally independently of the origin of the escarpment. The principal rivers of the province are the Berg and Olifants which drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Breede and Gourits which drain into the Indian Ocean. The vegetation of

4284-550: The expected changes. Thunderstorms are generally rare in the province (except in the Karoo ) with most precipitation being of a frontal or orographic nature. Extremes of heat and cold are common inland, but rare near the coast. Snow is a common winter occurrence on the Western Cape Mountains occasionally reaching down into the more inland valleys. Otherwise, frost is relatively rare in coastal areas and many of

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4368-402: The far west of the northern suburbs linking Goodwood with Malmesbury to the north. The Metrorail Western Cape commuter rail system connects Cape Town to the northern suburbs of Goodwood, Parow, Bellville , Brackenfell and Kraaifontein via the Northern Line and also connects Strand and Somerset West in the Helderberg region to the northern suburbs of Kuilsrivier and Bellville via

4452-406: The few areas in the Greater Cape Town metropolitan area that do not have a railway passing through, however the nearest railway stations are located within a 10 kilometre radius including Kraaifontein , Bellville , and Brackenfell railway stations. The main route through Durbanville is the R302 , which is formed by three roads (Durbanville Avenue, Main Street and Wellington Road). It connects

4536-417: The following interactive map, the district and metropolitan municipalities are labelled in capital letters and shaded in various different colours. Clicking on the district on the map loads the appropriate article: As of the third quarter of 2023, the Western Cape's total real GDP was R 656.27 billion, which equaled 14.2% of South Africa's total GDP, and real GDP per capita was R90,571. The Western Cape has

4620-428: The following public high schools: There are numerous primary schools, including: The area also has a number of private schools: Mediclinic Durbanville is the sole hospital serving the town of Durbanville. Owned by Mediclinic International , it is a private hospital operating 24-hour emergency services. The hospital is located in the heart of the town on Wellington Road. A short distance from Mediclinic Durbanville,

4704-431: The four original runways, two remain operational while the other two are used for film production. It has been in private ownership since 2021. Operators at the airfield are Cape Town Flight Training Centre and Aerosport Training. The Fighting on Fire organisation also has a summer base at Cape Winelands Airport . The ICAO designator is FAWN. Located on a 150ha site, Cape Winelands Airport has a number of aircraft hangars for

4788-411: The heavily cultivated valleys. The Hon Alan Winde MMP The Seventh Provincial Parliament Speaker Daylin Mitchell MMP Deputy Speaker Reagan Allen MMP Chief Whip of the Majority Party Gillon Bosman MMP Leader of the Opposition Khalid Sayed MMP Chief Whip of the Official Opposition Ayanda Bans MMP Municipal: The Cape has had

4872-444: The imposition of using Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools, effective with students in Grade 7 (Standard 5) upwards. As early as March 1976, students began passive resistance against Afrikaans, fueling the outbreak of the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976. Consequently, the student protests spread to other parts of the country, and Cape Town became a pivotal site for Western Cape student revolt. Student leaders at

4956-427: The independence of the "Sovereign State of Good Hope". In the 2019 election , the DA retained their majority in the province, but with a reduction in support. It had won 24 seats with 55%. Helen Zille was term-limited and the DA premier candidate Alan Winde succeeded her. The ANC also lost support. It had received 12 seats with 28% support, its lowest showing since 1994. Veteran politician Peter Marais returned to

5040-421: The mountain peaks in the different ranges varies from 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft). The valleys between ranges are generally very fertile, as they contain the weathered loamy soils of the Bokkeveld mudstones (see the diagrams below). The far interior forms part of the Karoo . This region of the province is generally arid and hilly, with a prominent escarpment that runs close to

5124-524: The naming rights sponsor for the Durbanville and Kenilworth racecourses, and as a result the Durbanville Racecourse is now known as the Hollywoodbets Durbanville Racecourse. The Durbanville municipal council assumed a coat of arms, designed by Ivan Mitford-Barberton and H. Ellis Tomlinson , in April 1948, and registered them at the Bureau of Heraldry in February 1981. The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) The arms, derived from those of Sir Benjamin d'Urban , were : Or, on

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5208-416: The north among the Tygerberg Hills is the town of Durbanville (pop. 54,286) and along the R300 corridor bordering Bellville and Brackenfell is the town of Kuilsrivier (pop. 46,685). Though separate, these aforementioned towns have virtually become one due to development and urban sprawl and as a result have become known as the northern suburbs of Cape Town. The Northern Suburbs’ borders encompass

5292-456: The population is Christianity with a wide variety of churches in the community Owing to the rich history and heritage of the town, Durbanville boasts its fair share of historical features and attractions largely situated in the CBD and its immediate surroundings including: According to the 2011 Census , the population of Durbanville was 54,286. The following tables show various demographic data about Durbanville from that census. The town has

5376-437: The population of the Western Cape as 7,433,020 people living in 2,264,032 households. As the province covers an area of 129,462 square kilometres (49,986 sq mi), the population density was 45.0 inhabitants per square kilometre (117/sq mi) and the household density 12.6 per square kilometre (33/sq mi). Northern Suburbs, Cape Town The Northern Suburbs is a major urban and rural region located in

5460-402: The provincial legislature to serve as a cabinet of ministers, overseeing the departments of the provincial government . These departments are Agriculture, Community Safety , Cultural Affairs and Sport, Economic Development and Tourism, Education , Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Health , Human Settlements, Local Government, Social Development, Transport and Public Works , and

5544-463: The provincial parliament as the sole representative of the Freedom Front Plus . Patricia de Lille formed another party, Good , and it achieved a seat. The DA continued to win a majority of the votes in the 2021 municipal elections , receiving 54% of the vote province-wide, with support in Cape Town at 58%. Since the late 2000s there has been growing support for Western Cape, or Greater Cape, independence from South Africa. Political parties such as

5628-436: The provincial parliament, while the ANC won 14 seats with 31% of the vote. The DA leader Helen Zille was elected Premier. In 2010 the Independent Democrats , which had won 3 seats with 5% of the vote, merged with the DA. In the 2014 election the DA won 59% of the votes and an absolute majority of 26 seats in the provincial parliament, while the ANC won 14 seats with 32% of the vote. In 2018 King Khoebaha Cornelius III Declared

5712-403: The recent developments, which has resulted in the town being able to retain its unique country atmospheres . Afrikaans and English are the main languages spoken in Durbanville. In the past Afrikaans predominated culturally, but this has changed with the rapid development of the town. However the majority (59%) of the town still speaks Afrikaans as a first language. The principal religion of

5796-474: The region is also extremely diverse, with one of the world's seven floral kingdoms almost exclusively endemic to the province, namely the Cape Floral Kingdom , most of which is covered by Fynbos (from the Afrikaans meaning "Fine Bush" (Dutch: Fijnbos), though precisely how it came to be referred to as such, is uncertain.). These evergreen heathlands are extremely rich in species diversity, with at least as many plant species occurring on Table Mountain as in

5880-495: The south-easterly winds driving upwelling are weaker which results in warmer coastal waters than normal, while during La Niña the same winds are stronger and cause colder coastal waters. These effects on the winds are part of large scale influences on the tropical Atlantic and the South Atlantic High -pressure system, and changes to the pattern of westerly winds further south. There are other influences not known to be related to ENSO of similar importance. Some ENSO events do not lead to

5964-405: The storage and maintenance of private aircraft and helicopters. Durbanville is served by Golden Arrow Bus Services which operates daily commuter bus services across the Cape Metropole. Minibus taxis are also a major form of public transportation in Durbanville with the majority of minibus taxis terminating at the Durbanville Public Transport Interchange in the town centre. Durbanville is one of

6048-406: The summer and winter rainfall areas. Winter rainfall areas tend to get higher rainfall than normal and summer rainfall areas tend to get less rain. The effect on the summer rainfall areas is stronger and has led to severe drought in strong El Niño events. Sea surface temperatures off the west and south coasts of South Africa are affected by ENSO via changes in surface wind strength. During El Niño

6132-468: The third largest economy of South Africa's nine provinces, behind Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal . The province's unemployment rate was 20.2%, which is the lowest in South Africa and considerably below the national unemployment rate of 31.9%. As of 2018, the Western Cape's Human Development Index is the highest in South Africa at 0.741 compared to the South African average of 0.705. As of 2023,

6216-496: The town with Klipheuwel and Malmesbury to the north-east and with Bellville to the south. The R312 (Lichtenburg Road) starts from the R302 in the north-east of the town, running towards Fisantekraal and Wellington . The town is also connected to surrounding towns and villages by a number of metropolitan routes: It is connected to Bellville via the M13 (Church Street; Race Course Road; Tygerberg Valley Road), M16 (Jip de Jager Drive), M31 (Tygerberg Valley Road) and

6300-441: The traditional commercial centre of the town with shops, bars, cafés, boutiques and restaurants along the main high street of Wellington Road and many more tucked away down the side streets. There are three major shopping centres serving Durbanville, all of which are located in the CBD - De Ville Centre, Durbanville Town Centre and The Village Square. Also found in the town are the following smaller shopping centres: Durbanville

6384-539: The vibrant townships of Bloekombos, Wallacedene and Scottsdene in Kraaifontein and the smaller township of Fisantekraal (pop. 12,369) just outside Durbanville. Towards the extreme north of the Northern Suburbs about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Durbanville are the rural settlements of Klipheuwel (pop. 2,294) and Philadelphia (pop. 570) which are the most isolated and least integrated areas within

6468-412: The village D'Urban in his honour. Permission was duly granted and the new name persisted until 1886 when it was renamed to Durbanville in order to avoid confusion with Durban - a major port city in the east of South Africa . Durbanville had its own court house, jail and magistrate from the 1870s and became a Magisterial District of Bellville . The court house complex still exists in altered form within

6552-581: The west to Kraaifontein , Brackenfell and Kuilsrivier in the east and north up to incorporate the rural village of Philadelphia . The principal town is Bellville to the south of the Tygerberg Hills , which as of 2011 has a population of 112,507. Along with Bellville, the population density of the Northern Suburbs is concentrated along the N1 corridor including the towns of Goodwood (pop. 50,285), Parow (pop. 119,462), Brackenfell (44,842) and Kraaifontein (154,615). Bordering Bellville to

6636-620: Was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province . The two largest cities are Cape Town and George . The Western Cape is roughly L-shaped, extending north and east from the Cape of Good Hope , in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It stretches about 400 kilometres (250 mi) northwards along the Atlantic coast and about 500 kilometres (300 mi) eastwards along the South African south coast ( Southern Indian Ocean ). It

6720-424: Was divided into the Western Cape, Northern Cape , Eastern Cape and part of North West . In the 1994 election, the Western Cape was one of two provinces that did not elect an African National Congress (ANC) provincial government (the other being KwaZulu-Natal ). The National Party (NP) won 53% of the votes and 23 seats in the 42-seat provincial legislature, and Hernus Kriel , a former Minister of Law and Order,

6804-611: Was elected Premier . He resigned in 1998 and was replaced by Gerald Morkel . The 1999 election marked the beginning of a period of great turbulence in Western Cape politics. No party achieved an absolute majority in the provincial parliament, as the ANC won 18 seats while the New National Party (NNP), successor to the NP, won 17. The NNP went into coalition with the Democratic Party (DP), which won 5 seats, to form

6888-724: Was elected in 2024 ; 24 seats are held by the Democratic Alliance , 8 by the African National Congress , 3 by the Patriotic Alliance , 2 by the Economic Freedom Fighters , and 1 each by the African Christian Democratic Party , Al Jama-ah , Good , Freedom Front Plus , and National Coloured Congress . The provincial parliament is responsible for legislating within its responsibilities as set out by

6972-405: Was later gradually restricted, and eventually abolished, under various National Party and United Party governments. In 1930 white women were enfranchised , and in 1931 property qualifications for white voters were removed . In 1936 black voters were then removed from the common voters' rolls and allowed only to elect separate members in 1936, and subsequently denied all representation in

7056-421: Was replaced by Peter Marais. In 2002 Marais resigned as Premier due to a sexual harassment scandal, and was replaced by NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk . During the 2003 floor-crossing period four members of the provincial parliament crossed to the ANC, giving it an absolute majority of 22 seats in the 42-seat house. However, the ANC remained in coalition with the NNP and van Schalkwyk remained as Premier. In

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