The quiet Western Cape towns South Africans are semigrating to

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If you were wondering where South Africans are semigrating to in 2025, it seems the Western Cape’s smaller, country towns are becoming quite popular.

According to BusinessTech and property experts from Seeff Property Group, country towns across the Western Cape are experiencing a surge in demand for property as more South Africans wish to opt out of busy city life.

This semigration trend was seen, in particular, amongst remote workers, retirees, and families looking for quieter and safer lifestyles.

Where are they heading, and who’s buying?

Some of the most popular Western Cape country towns include Barrydale, Bonnievale, Ladismith, Swellendam, Pearly Beach, Riversdale, Gansbaai, Still Bay and Struisbaai.

BusinessTech also reported data that showed that over 8 000 property transactions worth nearly R9.5 billion occurred across the Cape countryside last year, with an estimated 90% of these sales coming in under R1.5 million per transaction.

“We’re seeing strong interest from all over the country, with nearly 60% of buyers from Gauteng,” Anet Rossouw from Seeff noted, as per BusinessTech.

Another 10 percent are from the other South African provinces, with the rest of the buyers being from the Western Cape itself, looking for second homes or future retirement homes.