Covid-19 in South Africa: The National State of Disaster has been lifted as from 5 April 2022.

Cape Town Expats

Expat Clubs in Cape Town

Looking for information on Cape Town expats? On this page, you will not only find a listing of Cape Towns expat clubs but you will also find information on expat life in Cape Town with lots of links.

Cape Town is one of the best cities for expats in the world and expats will find living in South Africa as safe and enjoyable as can be. As there are no proper expat areas for housing in Cape Town as you will find expatriates from all around the world all over the city and the suburbs. Standard precautions apply as they do anywhere in the big cities around the world.

Here in the Cape Town South Africa, expats mix and mingle with the locals, but sometimes you might feel the need to meet your co-nationals too. Living as an expat in a new country is often not easy especially in the early stages of a relocation. Meeting people from 'back home' often helps expats to adjust more easily to life in a new environment. Many expats suffer from culture shock. The social interaction with people who can recall their own experiences when moving to their new home in South Africa is often very helpful in the settling-in process. It is always great to meet co-nationals and celebrate special events together such as the Octoberfest, Saint Patrick's Day or New Year's Eve.

Cape Town Expat Clubs, Meet-ups, Organisations and Associations for Internationals

Here you will find my listing of expat clubs in Cape Town, where you can meet like-minded people and not only share info but also your worries and have fun together with monthly or even weekly meetings. These are Cape Town clubs where you will find many expatriates:

The Austrians meet for several meetings and sports activities. Their clubhouse is in Greenpoint. More info about the Austrian Social Club here.

The Cape Town chapter of the American Society of South Africa organises monthly events, mainly on weekends. Events for the whole family, like Halloween and Thanksgiving meet-ups. There is also the American school in Cape Town which organised many community events.

The Brazilian Club, Little Brazil, meets several times a year and at their parties you will find many people from the Brazilian communities.

The Alliance Francaise du Cap offers various cultural events, language classes and has got a multimedia library. Read more about the French Community in Cape Town here.

The Danish Club organises a monthly meeting and the Danish meet also for other events such as movie clubs and community drives. 

Dutch Club: "De Nederlandsche Club te Kaapstad" offers many monthly activities to its members. There are lunches, filmevenings and market days as well as special events planed throughout the year. They offer language classes for kids as well. More about the Dutch Community in Cape Town here.

The German Club Cape Town (Deutscher Verein Kapstadt) welcomes all visitors and expats from the international community. The Goethe-Zentrum (The German Cultural Institute) in Cape Town only offers German language classes. More about the German Community in Cape Town here.

The Hellenic Community Centre is located in 24 Bay Road. There are several Hellenic associations and societies in Cape Town. 

Irish-South African Association: The Irish have here a very active community in South Africa. Read more about the Irish expats in Cape Town here.

Italian Club: The Italian Club is meeting regularly at their clubhouse in Rugby/Milnerton. They organize several events for the Italian community in Cape Town.

The Portuguese Club is located in Rugby/Milnerton. The Portuguese community is well organised and there are regular luncheons, concerts and other community events to attend in Cape Town. More info. A new school is open now for children's language courses. More info.

Spanish Social Club. The Noches Latinas club is not meeting regularly anymore but try to ask on our Facebook group if you like to practise your Spanish language skills as there are several Spanish expats in our group who might be interested in meeting up and sharing insights.

Swiss Social & Sports Club: The Swiss community has got a strong base in Cape Town. The club located in Greenpoint organizes many activities throughout the year.


Other Cape Town Associations where expats are always welcome

In these associations you can also get contact and help when settling in the Mother City. Here you will also find many Cape Town expats as members:

Cape Buccaneers: Sportsclub for expats and locals. Mainly rugby events but also concerts and get togethers. 

Cape Town Club: being the oldest clubs in Cape Town it offers its doors also to members of reciprocal clubs.

IWC or International Women’s Club Cape Town: With a wide range of activities ranging from book club and bridge to mountain club or golf meetings.

Rotary Clubs in Cape Town:Various clubs all over town welcome all to take part in their social and community outreach programmes.

Lions Clubs in Cape TownThere are many clubs, please find out on their website which club is in your area.

Further, it is advisable to get in contact with your national chamber of business, as these also organise regular meet-ups and community events which are good to attend to get the latest news and insights on immigration and business news. Read more here. Should you know about other expat clubs or regular expat meet-ups in Cape Town, please let us know and we will add the info and a link to your Cape Town expat club or association for free. Contact us here.


Looking for more information for expats in Cape Town?

Our South Africa expat guide book, will provide loads of useful tips and resources for expats relocating to Cape Town. Click on the button below to view sample pages and to order your book directly with us. 

Living in South Africa - Expat Guide Book by Regina Graeff and Derryn Campbell