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Neighbourhoods › Eastern Cape › Sidwell
72
/ 100

Sidwell

Strong

Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

Residential
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Worth shortlisting Based on 7 scored dimensions
Best reasons
93
Schools — 99 schools within range
86
Affordability
78
Safety
Trade-offs
42
Amenities — 26 amenities mapped nearby
Unknowns
Safety — based on limited evidence
Is Sidwell right for you?

Sidwell stands out for low crime and schools nearby, with the trade-off of high prices for local incomes.

What is good here

  • Crime is lower than in most areas.
  • There are more schools within reach than in most areas.
  • Public transport is good, so a car is optional.
  • There are lots of places to eat, parks and things to do.
  • 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 Suits well

    Low crime and schools nearby.

  • Young professionals and renters Suits well

    Good public transport and plenty to do.

  • Retirees and a quieter life Suits well

    Low crime.

  • Living without a car Suits well

    Good public transport.

  • Buying on a budget Could work

    Steady property prices, but high prices for local incomes.

Compared with nearby areas

In Gqeberha In South Africa
Safety About average Better than most
Affordability Below most Below most
Schools Better than most Among the best
Transport Among the best Among the best
Amenities About average About average
Lifestyle Better than most Among the best
Property Confidence About average Better than most
What's happening
Local & city news, notices and alerts
Defeat for Garden Route Badgers Colts The Gremlin
After a promising start a few weeks ago in the Cricket South Africa Colts competition, the Garden Route Badgers, suffered back-to-back defeats in this weekend’s fixtures against Eastern Province in Oudtshoorn. In the three-day competition the Badgers went down by an innings and 167 runs. In the one-day competition fixture after being bowled out for […] The post Defeat for Garden Route Badgers Colts appeared first on The Gremlin.
1 day ago Read article
WEATHER TODAY: Upington 40°C and Kimberley 39°C as the heat wave holds South African
Weather for Wednesday: Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Klerksdorp and Kroonstad reach 36°C, while Cape Town stays cloudy and mild at 24°C and Durban settles at 27°C.
1 day ago Read article
Proteas vs Bangladesh Tests: Squad, dates, where to watch South African
South Africa host Bangladesh in November and December, including two clashes that could shape the World Test Championship.
1 day ago Read article
Businesses pool funds for Gqeberha substation’s R1m security upgrades Daily Maverick
In an effort to prevent power outages from crippling businesses in the industrial areas of Deal Party and Struandale, several Gqeberha firms have banded together to install security upgrades at the crucial Swartkops Substation, including a fence worth nearly R1-million.
1 day ago Read article
Cancer patient turns to crowdfunding after Gqeberha hospital’s scanners fail Daily Maverick
Broken CT scanners at Livingstone Hospital left patients facing uncertainty over access to essential diagnostic services. For 70-year-old breast cancer patient Charmaine van den Berg, the breakdown meant turning to public crowdfunding to afford a private scan.
1 day ago Read article
Data confidence
High coverage
85

Coverage confidence reflects geographic matching, source authority, freshness, record coverage, and demographic alignment. It is not a liveability score.

geography
15 pts
source authority
20 pts
freshness
20 pts
record coverage
25 pts
demographic alignment
5 pts
Verified schools
0 inside · 99 nearby
Official school register
School · verified 2026-09-23
Source
Score dashboard
OSM Nov 2026 · modelled
78
Safety
Good
estimated
86
Affordability
Excellent
modelled
93
Schools
Excellent
2020
64
Transport
About average
Nov 2026
42
Amenities
Below average
Nov 2026
57
Lifestyle
About average
Nov 2026
72
Property Confidence
Good
RPPI 2010-2023
What these scores mean for Sidwell

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: 78/100 · Good
Scores 78 out of 100, which is good and better than 64% 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: No SAPS station data for this suburb yet — safety is estimated from data-backed suburbs nearby. This is an estimate from wider-area data, not measured for this area itself. Source: Estimated from nearby areas (estimated).
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: 93/100 · Excellent
Scores 93 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 99% 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).
Transport: 64/100 · About average
Scores 64 out of 100, which is about average and better than 92% of areas in South Africa. What it measures: Access to public transport stops, stations and main roads. How it is worked out: Density of public-transport stops and stations. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: OpenStreetMap transport nodes (Nov 2026).
Amenities: 42/100 · Below average
Scores 42 out of 100, which is below average and lower than 59% of areas in South Africa. In practice, you may need to travel for everyday shopping and services. What it measures: Everyday places nearby, such as shops, pharmacies, clinics and banks. How it is worked out: Daily-convenience density: shops, food, healthcare, community. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: OpenStreetMap & Google Places (Nov 2026).
Lifestyle: 57/100 · About average
Scores 57 out of 100, which is about average and better than 88% of areas in South Africa. What it measures: Places to eat, relax and spend free time, such as restaurants, parks and gyms. How it is worked out: Parks, food culture, and community sentiment once reviews accrue. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: OSM green space + resident sentiment (Nov 2026).
Property Confidence: 72/100 · Good
Scores 72 out of 100, which is good and better than 63% 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).
Full scoring method
Flood & earthquake history
🌊 Flood: None on record
🌍 Earthquake: None on record
See details

Population (Census 2022)

Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality — for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

1,187,335 people in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
Black African 63%
Coloured 19%
Indian or Asian 1%
White 16%
Other 1%

Source: Stats SA Census 2022.

Municipal service delivery

Real Stats SA General Household Survey (GHS 2022) — based on 461 households surveyed in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

Flush toilet access
96%
Pit/bucket toilet (backlog)
3%
Has electricity
98%
Regular refuse removal
87%
Water interruptions (past yr)
70%
Less happy than last year
30%
What residents are complaining about

% of households reporting each problem as present in their area.

Illegal rubbish dumping 35%
Littering 42%
Water pollution 15%
Air pollution 11%
Land degradation 2%
Noise pollution 4%

Source: Stats SA GHS 2022.

Households (Census 2022)

Real Stats SA Census 2022 — full count, based on 22,145 households. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

Piped water inside dwelling
78%
Flush toilet
90%
Bucket toilet (backlog)
5%
Electricity for lighting
94%
Regular refuse removal
87%
Home internet access
12%
No internet access
22%
Owns a motor car
28%
Food security

% of households reporting hunger at least sometimes in the past year.

Adult hunger 37%
Child hunger 35%

Source: Stats SA Census 2022.

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Local services in Sidwell

Tips from residents

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Visiting Sidwell

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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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Related guides
Is Sidwell safe? Safest in Gqeberha Most affordable in Gqeberha Best for families in Gqeberha

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.

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