31 000 people earn less than R1 000 in the Western Cape’s richest municipality

The Western Cape is home to one of South Africa’s wealthiest municipalities.

The average selling price for a home in the area is R2.6 million, and climbing.

But within this scenic and historic town, 31 000 South Africans are living in poverty.

Poverty in the Western Cape’s Wealthiest Municipality

According to the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the average taxable income in Stellenbosch is R451 000.

This municipality is among the 10 wealthiest in the country.

It also means it’s 21.5% richer than the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape’s second richest municipality.

Stellenbosch has 36 475 taxpayers earning a collective taxable income of R4.1 billion in 2025.

These taxpayers make up 28.4% of the area’s 128 225 working-age population.

But as of June 2026, 31 020 residents receive the R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.

More residents received the SRD grant in June 2026 than in June 2025.

But there aren’t any telltale signs that these residents should live in poverty.

Only 4 034 of Stellenbosch’s adult population didn’t go to school.

Most residents live in formal dwellings than at any point in the municipality’s recent history.

And, according to the 2022 census data, one quarter of residents have higher education. This is a massive increase from 2011, when less than one fifth of the population had it.

But despite Stellenbosch’s strides, 24.9% of the area’s adult population live just above the Food Poverty Line.

They earn just enough to qualify for the SRD grant.

To get the SRD grant, residents must prove they don’t get more than R624 in a bank account.

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is careful about checking.

Currently, the agency only approves 46% of applications.

Stellenbosch also pales in comparison to the Western Cape’s second wealthiest municipality: the City of Cape Town.

There are 310 794 SRD grant beneficiaries in the City of Cape Town, 10 times Stellenbosch’s amount.

But Cape Town’s SRD grant beneficiaries are decreasing. This could suggest residents are escaping the dire poverty levels required to get the grant.

Crime in Stellenbosch

Although the data suggests poverty levels in Stellenbosch may be rising, crime in the area has declined over the last five years.

A 2023 paper by two Tshwane University lecturers explored the link between poverty and crime.

Parts of Stellenbosch show there could be links.

In Cloetesville, crime rose 6.3% between April and June 2026, compared to the same period the year before.

But in Stellenbosch’s police precinct, crime decreased 12.2% over that period.

Most of the crime affecting Cloetesville is drug-related.

In Stellenbosch, theft is most common, followed by drug-related crime.

But in both areas, crime has decreased since 2016.

In Stellenbosch, crime is down 20.1% since 2016. In Cloetesville, crime has dropped 38.1% since 2016.