Fresnaye is one of Cape Town's most affluent suburbs, situated between Signal Hill and Sea Point, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD).

Fresnaye
Suburb of Cape Town
Fresnaye and Sea Point as seen from Lion's Head which surrounds the suburb on the East. Sea Point is to the North and the West separating the suburb from the Atlantic Ocean.
Fresnaye Show map of Western Cape Fresnaye Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 33°55′30″S 18°23′15″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Main Place	Cape Town
Government
• Type	Metropolitan Council Ward 54
• Councillor	Nicola Jowell [1] (DA)
Area [2]
• Total	0.73 km2 (0.28 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	2,011
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	9.5%
• Coloured	4.0%
• Indian/Asian	0.8%
• White	83.1%
• Other	2.6%
First languages (2011) [2]
• English	81.2%
• Afrikaans	9.8%
• Xhosa	1.8%
• Other	7.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	8005
Area code	021

History

Fresnaye was originally an estate of 200 acres (81 ha), acquired in the early 1800s, and belonging to Ryk Le Sueur, a barrister, and French aristocrat from Bayeux in Normandy and descendant of the French Huguenots. The original name was Winterslust, and the farmhouse was at that time, the only building on the mountain slopes, other than Heeren Huis near Bantry Bay, built in 1776. Fresnaye was set in vineyards and orchards, and referred to as "A Garden of Eden" at the time.

The suburbs street names reflect its French heritage to this day.

Geography

Fresnaye is set on the slopes of Lion’s Head on the East and between Sea Point and Bantry Bay to the suburb's North West and South West respectively.

Notable residents

• F. W. de Klerk (1936-2021), state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994.[3]

References