Rondebosch is an in-demand family upmarket suburb with excellent schools and a good selection of property.
About the area
Spread below the slopes of Devil’s Peak, with the green expanse of Rondebosch Common, a defining feature, Rondebosch is a friendly and old established suburb that embraces the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur estate, the bustle of Main Road with its shops and apartment buildings, and quiet residential streets of family homes on the other side of the railway line.
Rondebosch is very much a family suburb with spacious Victorian houses and gardens, and highly sought-after for the excellent schools within the suburb and adjacent Newlands. Once they arrive, people tend to stay – often for life. “People are building for the future by adding on a granny flat or studio, which they often rent out,” says Helen Binckes, who has lived in the area for 50 years, having chosen the area originally for the easy commute from the station into town, and its green open spaces.
Rondebosch Common is a green lung of fynbos with multiple paths for runners, dog-walkers and cyclists and plenty of open space for flying kites too. Rondebosch Park hosts a monthly craft market, the biannual Rondebosch Potters Market and a Carols by Candlelight. Keurboom Park, often reached by walking over the sports fields of Rondebosch Boys’ High School, is another family park with loads of safe space for kids to play.
The friendly local Silwood Centre has all the shopping basics and further down Campground Road Michael’s Cafe and Deli is a favourite eatery. Main Road offers more restaurants and shopping, Palmyra Junction with its flagship Woolworths Food store is a short drive away and Cavendish Square just beyond for serious shopping.
The sense of community is a big attraction, with the RCID (Rondebosch Community Improvement District) organising street parties for neighbours to get to know each other, residents’ committees working with the council to maintain the parks, kids of all ages walking their local streets at Halloween, and older kids enjoying a measure of independence and freedom being so close to friends and school.
My kids can walk or cycle to school and to friends’ houses. They can get six or seven friends together from the neighbourhood on the weekend to play soccer. I almost never get into the car; it’s an absolute highlight.
Irene Solomons, resident
Top schools:
- Rondebosch Boys’ High School
- Rustenburg Girls’ High School
- Bishops Diocesan College
- Westerford High School
- Micklefield School
Nearby nature:
- Rondebosch Common for running, dog-walking, flying kites and fynbos
- Rondebosch Park for picnics, family walks and monthly craft markets
- Keurboom Park for all the family and kids on wheels
- Rondebosch Golf Club for varied birdlife on the river
- Rhodes Memorial for awesome views and trails onto the mountain
Nearby medical facilities:
- Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital
- Rondebosch Medical Centre
- Life Kingsbury Hospital
- Groote Schuur Hospital
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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