Merrifield Preparatory School And College
Combined · Inside suburb
75
/ 100
Ducats
StrongEast London, Eastern Cape
Peri Urban
Recommended
Based on 7 scored dimensions
Best reasons
92
Safety — 1,725 reported incidents in the latest period
92
Property confidence
86
Affordability
Trade-offs
50
Transport
50
Amenities
Unknowns
Transport — no source available yet
Amenities — no source available yet
Lifestyle — no source available yet
Is Ducats right for you?
Ducats stands out for low crime and schools nearby, with the trade-off of high prices for local incomes. We do not have figures yet for transport, amenities and lifestyle, so this is a partial picture.
What is good here
- Crime is lower than in most areas.
- There are more schools within reach than in most areas.
- Property prices have held up better than in most areas.
Things to weigh up
- Homes are expensive compared with local incomes.
Who it suits
-
Families with children Partly known
Low crime and schools nearby. Not known yet: amenities.
-
Young professionals and renters Not known yet
Not enough figures yet to say.
-
Retirees and a quieter life Partly known
Low crime. Not known yet: amenities.
-
Living without a car Not known yet
Not enough figures yet to say.
-
Buying on a budget Could work
Steady property prices, but high prices for local incomes.
Compared with nearby areas
| In East London | In South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | Among the best | Among the best |
| Affordability | Among the lowest | Below most |
| Schools | Better than most | Better than most |
| Property Confidence | About average | Among the best |
Still being collected: Transport, Amenities, Lifestyle. These are gathered automatically and will appear here; until then, residents' reviews below are the best guide.
What's happening
Local & city news, notices and alerts
Valeura Energy Inc. Announces Exploration, Development, Production Success
Investing News Network (inn)
1 day ago
Read article
WEATHER TODAY: Upington 40°C and Kimberley 39°C as the heat wave holds
South African
1 day ago
Read article
Proteas vs Bangladesh Tests: Squad, dates, where to watch
South African
1 day ago
Read article
One Young World calls for ethical philanthropy and democratic courage
Iol
1 day ago
Read article
Judge’s lawyer says racism complaint was an “act of reprisal”
Ebnewsdaily
1 day ago
Read article
Data confidence
High coverage
80
Coverage confidence reflects geographic matching, source authority, freshness, record coverage, and demographic alignment. It is not a liveability score.
geography
25 pts
source authority
20 pts
freshness
20 pts
record coverage
10 pts
demographic alignment
5 pts
Verified schools
9 inside · 2 nearby
inside
Sakhikamva High School
Secondary · Inside suburb
Bellafides Private School
Combined · Inside suburb
Floradale Farm School
Primary · Inside suburb
Noncedo Combined School
Combined · Inside suburb
East London Montessori School
Primary · Inside suburb
Thoboshana Farm School
Primary · Inside suburb
Abbotsford Christian School
Combined · Inside suburb
Vanani Farm School
Primary · Inside suburb
Gcobani Intermediate Primary School
Primary · 4.7 km away
Unathi Senior Secondary School
Secondary · 4.8 km away
Data sources
Report incorrect data
Official school register
School · verified 2026-09-22
Score dashboard
SAPS 2022-2023 · modelled
92
Safety
Excellent
2022-2023
86
Affordability
Excellent
modelled
81
Schools
Good
2020
—
Transport
No data yet
pending
—
Amenities
No data yet
pending
—
Lifestyle
No data yet
pending
92
Property Confidence
Excellent
RPPI 2010-2023
What these scores mean for Ducats
Each score is out of 100. Higher is better for you: a high affordability score means cheaper relative to local incomes, and a high safety score means less crime. Comparisons are with other areas in the same country.
- Safety: 92/100 · Excellent
- Scores 92 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 94% of areas in South Africa. In practice, reported crime is low for its size. What it measures: How safe the area is, from reported crime adjusted for population, with burglary and robbery counting most. How it is worked out: Severity-weighted reported crime per 1,000 residents vs the urban benchmark. Burglary and robbery are weighted heavily. This is based on reasonable data, but not the most recent or most local. Source: SAPS crime statistics (SAPACR 2008–2023) (2022-2023).
- Affordability: 86/100 · Excellent
- Scores 86 out of 100, which is excellent and lower than 99% of areas in South Africa. In practice, rent takes a reasonable share of local incomes. What it measures: How average rent compares with what households here typically earn. How it is worked out: Average rent as a share of median monthly income. This is based on reasonable data, but not the most recent or most local. Source: Stats SA income & rental index (modelled).
- Schools: 81/100 · Good
- Scores 81 out of 100, which is good and better than 70% of areas in South Africa. In practice, there is a good choice of schools nearby. What it measures: How many primary and secondary schools are within reach. How it is worked out: Real schools within range by phase (primary/secondary/pre-primary), weighted toward secondary. This is based on reasonable data, but not the most recent or most local. Source: DBE National Masterlist of Schools (2020) (2020).
- Property Confidence: 92/100 · Excellent
- Scores 92 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 87% of areas in South Africa. In practice, property data is plentiful and prices look steady. What it measures: How much reliable property data we have and how stable prices look. How it is worked out: Directional year-on-year price movement — not a valuation. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: Stats SA Residential Property Price Index (RPPI 2010-2023).
Flood & earthquake history
🌊
Flood:
None on record
🌍
Earthquake:
None on record
Population (Census 2022)
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality — for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.
968,651
people in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
Black African
85%
Coloured
5%
Indian or Asian
1%
White
8%
Other
1%
Source: Stats SA Census 2022.
Municipal service delivery
Real Stats SA General Household Survey (GHS 2022) — based on 322 households surveyed in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.
Flush toilet access
76%
Pit/bucket toilet (backlog)
24%
Has electricity
93%
Regular refuse removal
66%
Water interruptions (past yr)
73%
Less happy than last year
56%
What residents are complaining about
% of households reporting each problem as present in their area.
Illegal rubbish dumping
31%
Littering
38%
Water pollution
34%
Air pollution
43%
Land degradation
54%
Noise pollution
31%
Source: Stats SA GHS 2022.
Households (Census 2022)
Real Stats SA Census 2022 — full count, based on 21,116 households. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.
Piped water inside dwelling
59%
Flush toilet
77%
Bucket toilet (backlog)
1%
Electricity for lighting
92%
Regular refuse removal
67%
Home internet access
8%
No internet access
24%
Owns a motor car
26%
Food security
% of households reporting hunger at least sometimes in the past year.
Adult hunger
32%
Child hunger
29%
Source: Stats SA Census 2022.
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Local services in Ducats
No verified local businesses serve Ducats yet.
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Tips from residents
No tips yet. If you live in Ducats, share something you wish you had known when you moved in.
Tips are residents' own experience, checked by our team for language and personal details, not verified facts.
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Visiting Ducats
No attractions near here have been checked and published yet.
Load-shedding
No load-shedding
National status
✓ No load-shedding
Area-specific schedule not available for this suburb yet.
National status shown above. We're working on matching all suburbs.
Data via EskomSePush
· Updates every 15 minutes
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NeighbourhoodIQ is an information service, not legal or financial advice. Scores are computed from public data and are indicative only. Crime data: SAPS. Demographics: Stats SA. Amenities: OpenStreetMap contributors.