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Cape Town in numbers

What do the numbers say about Cape Town?

Charts on Cape Town's crime, water, weather, property, energy and more. Every chart has a source.

Environment 2 Nov 2026

The satellite keeps seeing heat at the same few places

69days seen Piketberg (4 km) · Highest

Places where heat was spotted on four or more days
Piketberg (4 km): 69 days seen Piketberg (4 km) 69 Vredenburg (8 km): 65 days seen Vredenburg (8 km) 65 Cape Town International Airport (2.1 km): 30 days seen Cape Town Internati… 30 Milnerton (6.6 km): 29 days seen Milnerton (6.6 km) 29 Stellenbosch (18 km): 13 days seen Stellenbosch (18 km) 13 Piketberg (43.5 km): 7 days seen Piketberg (43.5 km) 7 +2 more

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These places show up again and again. They are often factories or farm burning rather than wildfires. The one near Piketberg shows up most often.

Source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS 375 m) · All bars start at zero

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Environment 2 Nov 2026

How many fires does the satellite see over the Western Cape?

31heat spots 28 Oct · Highest

Heat spots seen from space each day
14 Oct: 6 heat spots 14 Oct 6 15 Oct: 7 heat spots 15 Oct 7 16 Oct: 2 heat spots 16 Oct 2 17 Oct: 1 heat spots 17 Oct 1 18 Oct: 2 heat spots 18 Oct 2 19 Oct: 10 heat spots 19 Oct 10 +14 more

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Some days are quiet. On busy days the satellite picks up twelve or more heat spots.

Source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS 375 m) · All bars start at zero

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Environment 31 Jan 2026

Fatal drownings on Cape Town's coastline fell to five in the 2025/26 festive season

15fatal drownings 2022/23 · Highest

Fatal drownings recorded on the City of Cape Town coastline, by festive season.
2022/23: 15 fatal drownings 2022/23 15 2023/24: 9 fatal drownings 2023/24 9 2024/25: 11 fatal drownings 2024/25 11 2025/26: 5 fatal drownings 2025/26 5

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That is the lowest number in four years. All five happened outside the areas marked for swimming.

Source: City of Cape Town · All bars start at zero

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Environment 29 Apr 2026

Cape Town’s firefighters are called to more than 13,000 vegetation fires a year

13,020incidents Vegetation fires · Highest

Call-outs to the City of Cape Town fire service by type, 1 May 2025 to 29 April 2026
Vegetation fires: 13,020 incidents Vegetation fires 13,020 Motor vehicle accidents: 4,991 incidents Motor vehicle accid… 4,991 Informal residential fires: 2,125 incidents Informal residentia… 2,125 Pedestrian accidents: 2,120 incidents Pedestrian accidents 2,120 Formal residential fires: 1,898 incidents Formal residential… 1,898

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Vegetation fires are the most common call-out, at 13,020 a year. Fires in formal houses are the rarest, at 1,898.

Source: City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service · All bars start at zero

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Environment 31 Dec 2025

Southern right whale calf numbers can change more than fivefold between counts

556cow-calf pairs 2023 · Highest

Mothers with calves counted from the air along the southern Cape coast, in the years with published counts
2019: 95 cow-calf pairs 2019 95 2023: 556 cow-calf pairs 2023 556 2025: 128 cow-calf pairs 2025 128

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The survey counted 95 pairs in 2019, a record 556 in 2023, and 128 in 2025.

Source: Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, University of Pretoria · All bars start at zero

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