This klein dorpie is the 2025 SA Town of the Year. And truthfully, most South Africans will have to fish out a map to find it. Which is sort of the point of small town, admittedly. Nevertheless, the town in question is called Bloemhof.
Situated in the North West, some 120 km for Johannesburg, it rests on the banks of the Vaal river and adjacent to South Africa’s third largest dam by the same name. It’s now been crowned the 2025 SA Town of the Year by Kyknet’s Kwela TV show. However, somewhat ironically, there’s concern that such an achievement may over commercialise the town …
2025 SA TOWN OF THE YEAR
Next in line for the 2025 SA Town of the Year were: Rehoboth (Namibia) second, Wilderness (Western Cape) third and Pennington (KwaZulu-Natal) fourth. While other finalists (not ranked) were Fauresmith (Free State), Witrivier (Mpumalanga), Naboomspruit (Limpopo), Richmond (Northern Cape) and Port Alfred (Eastern Cape).
We also can’t quite understand why a town in Namibia was included in the list of 2025 SA Town of the Year finalists. Nevertheless, Bloemhof is listed as a popular destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing and water sports. Much like Wilderness and Pennington, which are both on the coast and popular with seasonal holidaymakers.
AFFORDABLE HOMES
A key component to the 2025 SA Town of the Year is affordability. As such, most homes in Bloemhof are valued at less than R500 000. Meanwhile, the reverse is true in more affluent Pennington and Wilderness. And Port Alfred lands evenly in the middle with homes both above and below R500 000.
Therefore, given the number of properties (fewer than 50 houses change owners each year in Bloemhof) and affordable prices, Bloemhof’s total bond value is significantly less. The average bond value in Bloemhof is roughly R380 000, while Wilderness is R1.7 million. Meanwhile, Pennington’s average bond is R916 000, followed by Port Alfred (R914 000) and Witrivier (R820 000).
What do you think of the 2025 SA Town of the Year winners? Do you agree these are the best small towns in South Africa? Or do you have other suggestions for us in the comments section below …
