Rosebank, Cape Town

Rosebank is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa, located between the suburbs of Mowbray and Rondebosch.

Geography

Rosebank is located on the lower eastern slope of Devil's Peak, stretching down to the Liesbeeck River, and on the other side of the river up to the edge of Rondebosch Common. On the west it is bounded by the M3 freeway. The historic Mostert's Mill is located just next to the freeway. Much of the land between the M3 and Main Road, which runs north-south through the suburb, belongs to the University of Cape Town and is used for residences and sports fields. The area around Main Road is a mixture of university residences, shops and blocks of flats.

Parallel to Main Road, and one block east from it, the Metrorail Southern Line divides Rosebank in half; Rosebank railway station is the main public transport facility in the suburb. There are no road crossings of the railway in Rosebank; the nearest are the Durban Road bridge in Mowbray to the north and the Belmont Road bridge in Rondebosch to the south. There are, however, several pedestrian subways under the railway.

The area east of the railway, as far as Liesbeek Parkway, contains a mixture of blocks of flats and detached houses; many of the residences in this area are occupied by students from the university. The Cape Town offices of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the South African Bureau of Standards are also located here. Liesbeek Parkway is a dual carriageway which runs north-south through the suburb, running mostly parallel to the Liesbeeck River. East of Liesbeek Parkway and the river is an area of larger houses, with a more affluent population. Also located in this area is Rustenburg Girls' High School.

Population

The latest population statistics available are those from the 2001 Census. Unfortunately these statistics are only available for Rosebank aggregated with the adjoining suburb of Rondebosch. [cite web |url=http://www.capetown.gov.za/censusInfo/Census2001-new/Suburbs/Rondebosch-Rosebank.htm |title=Rondebosch/Rosebank |accessdate=2007-10-22 |work=City of Cape Town Census 2001]

53% of the population of the area is female, and 47% male. 73% are white and 14% are black. 86% of the residents of the area have at least a high school education, 35% have at least a Bachelor's degree, and 9% have a Master's degree and/or a Doctorate. 97% of the economically active population has employment, while 75% of the economically inactive population are students. Overall, students make up 27% of the population.

44% of dwellings in the area are detached houses, 38% are flats, and 6% are terraced houses or semi-detached houses. 99% of dwellings have mains electricity, 97% have piped drinking water on the property, and 97% have flush toilets connected to the sewer system. 99% have refuse regularly collected by the municipality.

References