Cape Town ranks 24th out of 31 leading cities studied globally by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in collaboration with the Partnership for New York City.
Overall, the Mother City comes sixth among the "middle-income country cities" (MICCs) — behind Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, Shanghai and Mexico City — but tops in Africa.
In the report "Cape Town – African City of Opportunity", PwC explains why Cape Town is winning.
Transport and infrustructure
- Cape Town scores highly for transportation and infrastructure, at 14th out of all 31 cities, and top of the middle-income countries.
According to the study, recent data on the city's governance shows that in the past two years, peak traffic times have doubled in the morning and afternoon. In response, the city has launched a congestion management programme (CMP), devoting R750-million in funds across innovative interventions to ease the congestion.
Sustainability and environment
- Everyone knows Cape Town for its beautiful scenery. The city's CBD lies cradled in the majestic arms of Table Mountain National Park, which extends the length of the peninsula.
Table Mountain is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions, with more than a million visitors a year.
Ease of doing business
- In this study, Cape Town's score for Ease of Doing Business is also middle-of-the- road. The city's highest score is for tax efficiency, painting the South African Revenue Service in a favourable light, compared to its high-income country counterparts.
Intellectual capital and innovation
-The city's best score is for libraries with public access, where it outperforms global leaders such as Amsterdam, Tokyo and Toronto.
It also scores well for Intellectual property (IP) protection, which is measured at the country level and is testament to South Africa's robust legal institutions — particularly among developing countries.