In South Africa, there are concerns that an influx of Western remote workers is worsening Cape Town's housing crisis by driving up property prices. These "digital nomads" earn in foreign currencies, giving them an edge over locals in the rental market.
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00:00One of my favorite destinations I've ever worked from and that's really saying something.
00:04Hello from Cape Town. I am finally here. Check out my apartment for the next six weeks.
00:10Online testimonials like this show how many digital nomads want to live and work in Cape Town.
00:20And who wouldn't want to relocate to one of Africa's most beautiful cities?
00:26The streets are clean in the city center. People can enjoy walks along the seapoint promenade
00:34and public transport is easily accessible. An abundance of cafes, restaurants and co-work
00:42spaces also make it easy to work remotely. U.S. citizen Courtney Simone made Cape Town her home
00:51for three months this year and hopes to make the city a regular destination.
00:59She runs her travel and adventure business remotely often working from her phone.
01:05Like I feel like you have so much variety and again the opportunity to meet so many
01:09cool people as you're working or as you're networking or just trying to get a vibe for the city.
01:15But Cape Town's stunning location is also part of its problem with the city flanked
01:21by an ocean on one side and a mountain on the other. This means locals and travelers are all
01:29competing for space in a narrow patch of land and those with dollars and euros are winning the contest.
01:38The suburbs closest to the city center, those closest to Table Mountain, have become some of the most
01:44expensive suburbs to live in not only in Cape Town but in the country as a whole.
01:54Woodstock is one such suburb. It was once a low-income neighborhood. Now apartment buildings
02:02are springing up on every corner mostly catering to a growing nomad market.
02:09Here a one-bedroom apartment costs about half of the average monthly salary to rent.
02:18For many locals the housing crisis carries a stark reminder of the apartheid era when
02:24black and brown people were only allowed to live in designated areas. It becomes very difficult
02:31for us to find property because now it's either there's no property or the property is very
02:36expensive. It's also creating that segregation between people because now it's not
02:42only about the color of your skin it's all about what money you have. But there are some people
02:49working to fix the problem like the Development Action Group. The NGO advocates for housing policy
02:56changes that favor creating inclusive communities. This is why we need to release land and earmark
03:03land in the inner city for affordable housing so that people can access housing close to
03:08economic opportunities and public transport. There are no immediate solutions at hand but a balance
03:15will have to be found because while digital nomads may bring much needed money into the local economy
03:24residents of Cape Town say changes must be made to ensure the city remains a home for all.