Bloemhof's recent victory in the 2025 Kwêla Dorp van die Jaar recognised the spirit of its citizens who overcame adversity to renew community pride and rebuild their town - but importantly, their actions could pave the way for property fundamentals to improve in the years ahead.

The tranquil North West town on the banks of the Vaal River is roughly 120km northwest of Johannesburg and beat eight towns to the award. Rehoboth (Namibia) came in second, and Wilderness (Western Cape) edged Pennington (KwaZulu-Natal), into fourth place. Other finalists (in no particular order) included Fauresmith (Free State), Mookgophong / Naboomspruit (Limpopo), Richmond (Northern Cape), Port Alfred (Eastern Cape), and Witrivier (Mpumalanga).



Bloemhof was founded in 1864 during a diamond rush on the farm Klipfontein. The town was named "Bloemhof" ("flower court" or "flower garden") in recognition of the gardens planted by the farm owner's daughter. Today, the town relies on maize and cattle farming and is a popular venue for outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and water sports. Third placed Wilderness and fourth placed Pennington are both on the coast, and popular with holidaymakers, quiet lifestyle enthusiasts and golfers.

Lightstone has reviewed selected property fundamentals of the eight towns in South Africa - we do not have data on Rehoboth in Namibia - to assess the degree to which these fundamentals correspond with the ranking of the top three towns in South Africa, and then more broadly against the other provincial entrants. Bloemhof comes in nearer the bottom on all the measures evaluated, while those towns that have strong tourism and retirement sectors did well.

Population and income

Considering only the population from households earning on average more than R13 000 per month, Bloemhof (see graph below) is modest at only 7% above R26 000, compared to its two closest competitors, Wilderness (85% of households earn more than R26 000) and Pennington (where close to 100% of households earn more than R26 000). Both Pennington and Wilderness have a significant proportion of their population earning more than R58 000 a month.

Population with household income above R13 000

However, when individuals with average household incomes below R13 000 are included (see graph below), Bloemhof and Port Alfred are way ahead of the other towns in terms of population size because they include townships within their municipal boundaries - Boitemulong in Bloemhof and Nkwenswezi in Port Alfred.

Overall population and income profile



So much for population and income, but how do the towns stack up against each other when it comes to property value?

Total property value: % per town



Of the eight South African towns, Bloemhof's total property value amounts to just 3% (sixth out of 8 towns), while Wilderness is second overall at 29% and Pennington fourth at 10%. Port Alfred, at 31%, is the town with the highest combined property value and Witrivier is third in value overall at 19%. The top four towns in terms of value account for 81%, and all have tourism as a major economic contributor.

Properties valued at above / below R500 000



The graph above shows most homes in Bloemhof are valued at less than R500 000, while in Pennington and Wilderness the reverse is true. Port Alfred is evenly split between above and below R500 000.

Transaction values

Transaction values in Wilderness are significantly higher than the other seven towns, and the gap has widened since 2021, probably as semigration in the Covid and post-Covid years drove prices up.

Average transaction value per town: 2015 - 2025



Pennington vies with Witrivier for second place in the transaction value table, while Bloemhof is just above Richmond and Fauresmith in sixth place. But for the first time since 2017, transaction values have dipped in 2025 in Wilderness, while they are rising in Witrivier, Pennington, Port Alfred and Richmond.

When it comes to volumes, though, it's Port Alfred which dominates, followed by Witrivier and Wilderness. Again, Bloemhof is in sixth place, with less than 50 houses changing owners each year. Only Richmond and Fauresmith record less volume activity.

Transaction volumes per town: 2015 - 2024




Bond finance

Total bond value per town in 2025



As expected, given the number of properties and property values, Bloemhof's total bond value is significantly less than the other two SA-placed towns ( yellow in the graph above and below) and ahead only of Fauresmith and Richmond. The average bond value in Bloemhof is just under R380 000, a quarter of the average bond value of R1.7m in Wilderness, significantly higher than all the other towns. Pennington's average bond value is next at R916 000, followed by Port Alfred (R914 000) and Witrivier at R820 000.

Average bond value per town in 2025



Finally, Standard Band and ABSA are the two largest lenders in Bloemhof, followed by First Rand.

Bloemhof total bond value by bank