Number plate prefixes listed by town, (Alphabetical list)

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A | B | C | D |E | F | G | H |I | J | K | L |M | N | O | P | R | S | T |U | V | W |Y | Z

A

Albertinia CES is used in the town of Albertinia in the Little Karoo.

Arniston CS is used for the southernmost coastal towns.

Ashton  CBR at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains, known for wine and fruit growing

Aurora  CBY a place of spectacular night skies for stargazing,

Avontuur and Haarlem  CCO once served by the “Apple Express,”

B

Baardskeerdersbos  CBL ‘beard shavers forest, ‘ after a small spider that collects hair.

Barrydale CCK  covers the historic Swellendam district and small Karoo villages.

Beaufort West CZ covers the central Karoo town. Birthplace of Chris Barnard

Bellville CY  covers the 12 myl/mile post town and surrounding areas.

Betty’s Bay  CAM The Cape’s other penguin colony

Bitterfontein  CV site of a notorious diamond heist

Boggomsbaai  CC said to be the cradle of human civilisation

Bot Rivier  CAM Place of plenty of butter

Bonnievale CER Breede River farming communities.

Brackenfell CFR Northern suburbs of Cape Town.

Bredasdorp CS Southernmost Overberg settlements.

Brenton-on-Sea CX Famous for the blue butterfly

Buffels Baai CX From all the buffalo that roamed here until the last ones were killed in 1883.

C

Caledon CAM Overberg region town known for wildflowers

Calitzdorp, CO, Klein Karoo town and Port capital of South Africa.

Cape Agulhas CS Southernmost settlements in the Cape, notorious for shipwrecks 

Cape Town suburbs   CA, Greater Cape Town metropolitan area. Find a list of Cape Town suburbs

Cape Town   CAA Central Cape Town registrations. Find a list of things to do 

Ceres CT Koue Bokkeveld. Important stage on the old route from the Cape into the interior.

Citrusdal CAR Cederberg farming area and place of healing baths.

Clanwilliam CAR Surrounding farms and town area, home of Rooibos tea.

D

Dana Baai / Dana Bay CC  animals that have the right of way here

Darling CK, Swartland town, the flower of the West Coast.

De Doorns CW Hex River Valley vineyards, the name dates back to at least 1725

De Kelders CEM: The cliffs here provide a perfect place to watch whales up close, often just meters from the shore.

De Rust  CG is a popular arts and crafts destination

Doringbaai  CV is a fishing village known for its crayfish industry.

Durbanville CY: this area used to be home to SA’s largest wagon-building factory.

Dysseldorp  CG is on the banks of the Groot River and is surrounded by Karoo landscapes.

Dwarskersbos  CFG is home to a coastal nature reserve with masses of birds and wildflowers

E

Ebenhaeser  CV is surrounded by flat coastal plains, agricultural land, and riverine wetlands

Eendekuil  CX The village is well known for its quality of cheese locally produced

Elands Bay/ Eland Baai CBY is famous for caves with rock paintings, some dating back 10,000 years.

Elgin CEO Elgin Valley, world-famous for its apple orchards and cool-climate wine farms.

Elim  CBL white-washed thatched cottages line a main road planted with fig trees.

F

Fisherhaven CEM, well known for bird watching and whale watching

Franschhoek CJ Cape Winelands town where Huguenots first planted vineyards

Franskraalstrand  CEM Frans, was a shepherd who worked for a landowner in the area in the 1930s.

G

Gansbaai CEM Overberg coastal town. Site of more than 140 shipwrecks at Danger Point,

George CAW. Forests of the Southern Cape and this Garden Route town were discovered in 1711

Genadendal CAM Place of the first teachers’ training college in South Africa,

Glentana  CAW Home of the shipwreck hike; the wreck of the Baralong can still be seen here

Goedverwacht  CBY lots of organic farms, with the produce available from the farmers. 

Gordon’s Bay CEY Helderberg coastal town on the East side of False Bay

Gouda  CN village near the entrance of the Nuwekloof Pass, which crosses several streams known as “Twenty-four Rivers”

Gouritsmond  CCC  For decades, Gouritsmond remained largely untouched as access to the town was blocked by 25 farm gates.

Graafwater CAR   Close to  Herenlogement ( gentlemen’s lodging). A cave travellers used in the 1700s. Interesting historical records are carved on the cave walls.

Grabouw: CEO Elgin Valley town, a key centre for deciduous fruit and timber.

Great Brak River CC: a waterwheel produced electricity in the village 15 years before George and Mossel Bay had electricity.

Greyton  CAM: Known for gardens, art, and wine.

Groot Jongensfontein  CCC A A library in the historical roundabout; the oldest local building operates on a trust basis,

Grotto Bay  CK Access-controlled village within the West Coast National Park that forms part of a protected nature area.

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H

Harkerville  CX  walk or hike in a forest of ancient enormous trees.

Hartenbos CBS Garden Route resort town originally built for S.A. Railways staff.

Hawston CE Samson Gabriel Dyer, an American Negro harpooner, divided this land into plots and sold them off to become the town of Hawston.

Heidelberg CEG One of the oldest buildings in South Africa, still standing, is a National Monument in this Overberg town.

Herbertsdale CC is still a small farming community, known for producing witblits

Herolds Bay CAW The first permanent resident here was a survivor of a shipwreck

Hermanus CEM Whale watching capital of the Western Cape.

Hopefield CR  This Sandveld region town is the oldest settlement on the West Coast

Hotagterklip  CBL The coastline here is notorious for shipwrecks because of treacherous waters.

I

Infanta CCK at the Breede River mouth, the finest natural anchorage on the entire Southern coast,

J

Jacobs Bay/ Jacobs Baai CFG A peaceful, authentic West Coast village famous for its traditional lime-washed houses

Jakkalsfontein CK This area is known as the Slagtersveld, where elephants, lions, leopards, and wild dogs used to roam freely.

K

Kalbaskraal CK Calabash Kraal. The area was a key watering and resting station for early colonial ox-wagons and livestock herders travelling inland

Keurboomstrand CX, this seaside village is known for its pristine, unspoiled beaches, which stretch for kilometres along the Indian Ocean,

Klapmuts CL, named after a style of sailors’ hat with a flap, likely from the shape of the hill. It was later simplified to Klapmuts.

Klawer CCP, West Coast farming town that survives entirely due to the 260-kilometre-long water canal network carved out of the landscape..

Kleinbaai CEM: this town has gained international attention for its shark cage diving tourism

Klein Brak Rivier  CC: The river here is navigable for about 20 km, and fish are abundant.

Kleinmond,  CAM: Overberg coastal town; mountains here served as a refuge for many runaway slaves, some criminals and what was left of the Khoisan tribes.

Knysna CX Garden Route coastal town scene of shipwrecks and a short-lived gold rush

Koringberg  CK short-lived 1950s diamond rush. Someone claimed to have found diamonds on the local slopes.

Kraaifontein CF Northern suburbs of Cape Town. The original 1960s municipal coat of arms featured two heraldic fountains, a bunch of grapes, and a massive parson-crow sitting right on top!

Kranshoek  CX Area culturally significant to the Griqua people

Kuilsrivier CFR Eastern Cape Town suburb 15 miles from Cape Town, that functioned as a necessary overnight staging post for early explorers, soldiers, and ox-wagons

Kurland Village  CX Named by the Russian, Baron Peter Behra, who left his ancestral lands on the Baltic Sea because of the Bolsheviks

Kylemore  CL founded by a wealthy Englishwoman who bought the farm and carved it up into small plots to give to freed slaves and displaced farm labourers

Khyamandi  CL early construction was funded and driven by South Africa’s corporate wine industry to build homes for farm labourers

L

L’Agulhas   CS Town in a notorious shipwreck area.

Ladismith CBL, Klein Karoo farming area on Route 62. Look out for Oom Stanley se liggie.

Laingsburg CBM, Central Karoo town scene of a terrible flood in 1981.

Lamberts Bay CAR,  West Coast fishing town scenr of the only naval engagement of the Boer War.

Langebaan CR, West Coast lagoon town with no industrial activity permitted

Languedoc CL Sir Herbert Baker designed 100 freestanding white-washed cottages complete with large private garden plots to found this village

Leeuw Gamka  CZ This settlement was an outspan area where travellers could rest. There was “drinkable” water and good grazing

Lutzville an Koekenaap  CV Villages close to the Olifants River; at high tide, one can take a flat-bottomed boat  30 km downstream

M

Malmesbury CK Swartland agricultural hub.

Macassar CA or CAA Site of the anchor Kramat for the “Circle of Saints”  that protects the Cape Peninsula from famine, plagues, and natural disasters.

Mamre CK: A wealthy European benefactor threw a massive handful of pure silver coins into the molten metal to ensure the church bell would have a uniquely crisp, angelic ring

Matjiesfontein CBM: Site of the first cricket match between the England team and the South African XI

McGregor CCD: Breede River Valley wine town where locals are protective of its “unplugged” vibe. You won’t find any franchise stores, fast-food outlets, or flashing neon signs here

Merweville CZ: Used as a film set for “western” movies, as it resembles the “wild West”

Montagu CBR: Breede River Valley town known for healing hot springs.

Moorreesburg CEA Swartland wheat region that has been used for large-scale wheat farming for most of its modern history,

Mossel Bay CBS Garden Route coastal town of firsts, first post office, first European trade with locals and evidence of some very early humans.

Murraysburg  CBT Central Karoo town where Boer commandos under Gideon Scheepers raided the town 17 times in just six months. It is jokingly called “the ultimate Karoo ‘takeaway town ‘” because the rebels took whatever they wanted

N

Napier CS Overberg village famous for strawberries and a fake gold rush

Nature’s Valley CX Town of No Streetlights, No Shops, In a bid to keep the town completely wild, the local ratepayers’ association has resisted commercial development to this day.

Nelspoort  CS Karoo railway outpost that hosts one of the country’s biggest outdoor rock art galleries

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O

 

Op die Berg CER  Op-die-Berg is a small rural town in the Koue Bokkeveld that began in 1961 with a church in a barn

Oudtshoorn CG Klein Karoo town, ostrich Capital of the World, famous for its opulent 19th-century feather palaces

P

Paarl  CJ  Winelands town and home of the Afrikaans language museum.

Pacaltsdorp  CAW  A historic Garden Route mission village, featuring South Africa’s only true Norman-style stone church and a 300-year-old tree that served as the community’s first open-air cathedral

Paternoster.  CFG Traditional West Coast fishing village. The area is most famous for its crayfish,

Pearly Beach Village  CEM An Overberg coastal village well known for its powdery-white dunes, ancient botanical soil secrets, and an offshore channel known as “Shark Alley.”

Piketberg CBY  named after a 17th-century military outpost, featuring a rare neo-Gothic cathedral, an active museum housed inside a historic synagogue, and a runaway mountain cannon

Plettenberg Bay CX: Garden Route coastal town where the first Europeans were shipwrecked and stranded before building boats to sail away.

Pniel  CL: established in 1843 as a sanctuary for newly emancipated slaves who built their own town completely from scratch.

Porterville CEX: Swartland farmland, globally famed as a paragliding mecca, home to the country’s only fields of rare sulfur-yellow Disa orchids.

Port Beaufort  CC: historic 19th-century river port that once minted its own money, survived a “Triple John” wedding, and serves as South Africa’s premier whale nursery.

Prince Albert  CCA: Karoo oasis at the foot of the Swartberg Pass, famous for its preserved Victorian architecture, artisanal olives, and quirky ghost tours

Pringle Bay  CAM Refuge to escaped slaves and WW11 U-Boat lookout

R

Rawsonville CW nicknamed the “place of bitter honey,” where horse-drawn harvests laid the roots for 17 world-class cellars tucked inside a tiny two-kilometre strip.

Redlinghuys CBY, potato capital of the Sandveld, hidden along a RAMSAR wetland with 200 bird species, where wild rooibos grows in the streets and Victorian houses double as public art galleries

Rheenendal CX: The deep-forest hamlet born from a botched colonial land registration, bordering an 1880s ghost town built on a short-lived gold rush.

Riebeek Kasteel CK, famous for the olive festival, it features the southern hemisphere’s longest colonial veranda and a town square fiercely guarded by a life-sized stone ox.

Riversdale CCC is an agricultural town in Hessequa, home to a historical 1838 trading post that was a hanging jail, and the unexpected home of South Africa’s only Ukrainian Museum

Riviersonderend CAM, an Overberg town, home to historic mountaintop signal cannons that once mobilised all able-bodied men in the valley.

Robertson CCD, a wine valley town and valley of championship racehorses.

Rooi Els CAM at the foot of the Hangklip mountain with dirt roads and a zero-streetlight rule,

S

Saldanha Bay CFG West Coast harbour town. Portuguese admiral António de Saldanha never actually saw the bay named after him.

Sedgefield CX Garden Route town with a tortoise mascot, encouraging a slower, quality pace of life and resisting the rush of modern cities.

Sir Lowry’s Pass Village  CFM a proud, self-sustaining sanctuary established for freed slaves

Slang River CCC  a town that is famous for its singers and birdwatching.

Somerset West CFM Helderberg town famous for wine and dynamite

St Helena Bay CFG West Coast fishing area. Watch sneaky seagulls help themselves to the catch.

Stanford CEM Whale Coast village that refused to accommodate convicts.

Stellenbosch CL  Simon Van Der Stel  was so impressed with the area that he named it after himself,  “Van Der Stel’s Bush”

Stillbaai/Stil Bay CCC Coastal Overberg town. Feed tame eels and watch fish catch themselves!

Strand CEY, Helderberg coastal town, a holiday destination for 200 years

Struisbaai CS, Overberg coastal village, scene of many shipwrecks and a mutiny

Suurbraak CCK, village with three names. Suurbraak, Zuurbraak or Xairu

Swellendam CCK, this Overberg town was once its own republic.

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T

 

Touwsrivier CW, Breede River Valley town.

Tulbagh CCM, wine route in an earthquake zone.

U

Uniondale CCO, Langkloof town, home of the biggest water wheel in South Africa

V

Vanrhynsdorp CCP, West Coast inland town, site of a quarry for 650 million-year-old marble used for tiles.

Velddrif CFP, Berg River fishing town of bokkoms and flamingos.

Vermaaklikheid CCC, Garden Route town on the Duiwenhoks River, famous for Witblits

Vermont CEM, village alongside a fynbos conservation area, known for green belts and pink birds

Villiersdorp CAM, Overberg town; Theewaterskloof Dam has enabled successful viticulture and fruit farming

Volmoed CG, From Poverty to courage and hope

Vredenburg CFG, West Coast town originally called Twisfontein, “Dispute fountain” due to an argument about water rights

Vredendal CV, West Coast town where vineyards are irrigated by the Olifants River irrigation project.

W

Wellington, CN, Winelands town, guarded by the man in the mountain

Wemmershoek CJ, most famous for the Wemmershoek Dam

Wilderness CAW, the beach here is considered to be one of the best in the county

Witsand CCC, small town at the mouth of the Breede River,

Wittedrift CX, pretty riverside village on the Garden Route

Wolseley CFA, wine region town. Pretty riverside village on the Garden Route

Worcester CW, Breede River Valley town.

Y

Yzerfontein CK

Z

Zoar and Amalienstein CG, oldest mission in the Karoo sponsored by a Baroness who never visited

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