As South Africa’s oldest city, Cape Town is rich in history, and with that comes an eerie collection of ghostly locations and tales.
Whether it’s the chilling tale of the Flying Dutchman or haunted houses and museums, these locations will leave you wondering. Dare to visit and decide for yourself.
Here are the most haunted places in Cape Town.
Table Mountain
The Ghost of Verlatenbosch is an enduring tale set on Table Mountain. It is said that a governor of Cape Town made an enemy of a citizen. The citizen hatched a dark plan: he gave the governor’s son a beautiful flute as a gift. Unbeknown to the governor or his son, the flute had once belonged to a leper. Within days of the son playing his flute, he became ill. He was forced into exile in a lonely hut on the mountain, where he played his flute until he died. Some say that on a still evening in the forest, you can still hear his mournful tune today.
Leeuwenhof Estate
Presiding over the City Bowl, Leeuwenhof Estate dates to the earliest days of European settlement in the Cape and is the official residence of the Premier of the Western Cape. Throughout the history of Leeuwenhof there have been tales of lights inexplicably going on after they were switched off and an older woman is said to haunt the ground floor. It is believed there is also a ghost of a young woman who died of heartbreak when her family disapproved of her lover.
The Flying Dutchman
Cape Town was once known as the Cape of Storms for its tumultuous seas, which ended the voyage of many a ship. One such ship was the Flying Dutchman. It was returning from a successful trading mission in the East, laden with silk and spices. As it neared Cape Point, the weather began to turn. Wind battered the ship and waves crashed onto its deck, while the imposing cliffs of Cape Point loomed a little too close by. The crew begged for him to turn back, but the captain was a stubborn man. He yelled, “I shall round this damned Cape, even if I have to sail until Doomsday comes.”
You know what they say about tempting fate? Well, that was the last anyone heard of the ship or its crew. To this day, the cursed ship and its sorrowful crew sail up and down the coast, searching for shelter from the storm. Watch out for its ragged sail appearing out of the mist on a stormy day.
The Ghost House of Rondebosch
Jac Loopuyt House, also known as The Ghost House of Rondebosch, is a picturesque Edwardian residence nicknamed “The Spook House”. It is rumoured that a strange cult resided there in the 1970s and there are stories of doors being opened and closed inexplicably and a transparent elderly man wandering around.
Rust-en-Vreugd
An ornate building dating back to the late 1700s, Rust-en-Vreugd, is now an art museum where it is not uncommon to hear visitor accounts of ghost sightings. Some guests often hear footsteps, some see a woman drifting between the downstairs rooms while others see a different woman staring down at them from an upstairs window. It is reported that dogs often snarl at the painting of the British Governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset.
Tokai Manor House
Jittery witnesses at Tokai Manor House report seeing a re-enactment of a New Year’s Eve spectacle from the early 1900s when a young nobleman was dared to ride his horse around the living room. Due to a large amount of alcohol consumption and loud noises that spooked his horse, he was unable to control the animal, and the horse galloped out the door and toppled off the high veranda, killing both the horse and the nobleman.
Castle of Good Hope
As one of Cape Town’s oldest buildings, the Castle of Good Hope has many a tale to tell. Workers and visitors report hearing voices and footsteps in the windowless dungeon and the narrow corridors of the building. The bell in the Bell Tower, walled up centuries ago after a soldier hung himself with the bell rope, sometimes rings on its own. A black dog is also said to haunt the property and has been known to approach visitors and then disappear.
Lady Anne Barnard is another of the Castle’s ghostly residents. In the late eighteenth century, Lady Anne lived at the Castle as the colony’s First Lady and often entertained important dignitaries. It seems even death won’t stop her from fulfilling her duties: her ghost is said to appear even today when dignitaries visit. There’s also the tale of Governor Pieter Gysbert van Noodt, apparently a strict and militant figure, who condemned seven soldiers to hang. Legend has it that one of the soldiers cursed him, and by the end of that same day, Van Noodt was found dead at his desk—reportedly from a heart attack.
Groote Schuur Hospital
Since opening its doors in 1938, Groote Schuur Hospital has seen many patients, staff, and visitors roam about its halls. However, it’s believed that some never really left. Patients and staff have reported sightings of a young nurse who committed suicide, a patient who fell to his death while trying to escape, and the spooky, but friendly, Sister Fatima who has been seen helping nurses on their rounds.
Simon’s Town
Things “go bump in the night” in Simon’s Town. The Simon’s Town Museum is said to be home to a haunted painting of a young lady – photos of this painting cannot be developed. Admiralty House is also wellknown for its spirits of deceased naval officers and a woman in a grey dress.
Green Point Lighthouse
One of the most recognised landmarks in Green Point, the red and white lighthouse dates back to 1824. A favourite for camera-toting tourists and the starting point for many a run or cycle along the promenade, it is also believed to be haunted by a one-legged lighthouse keeper whose voice is said to echo along its walls late at night. That will make you run a little faster!
Groot Constantia
Built in the 17th Century, the manor house at Groot Constantia is one of the oldest buildings in the country, so it is not particularly surprising that it comes with a ghost story. Simon van der Stel and his wife were among the earliest settlers in the Cape and Van der Stel was super attached to the land. So much so, it seems, he still doesn’t want to let it go. Van der Stel has been seen strolling to the swimming pool on summer mornings to take a dip…
The Ghostly Couple of Kronendal
There have been strange sightings both inside and outside Kronendal, located between Constantia Neck and Hout Bay. It is believed that in the 1840s, a British soldier sought the hand of Elsa Cloete, who lived there with her family but was refused by her father and forbidden from contacting her again. Distraught at the loss of his love, the soldier hanged himself from an oak tree just outside the house. Elsa is said to have died shortly after. To this day, the two lovers are reportedly still seen in and around the house, with Elsa’s ghost moving objects and gazing out of a window, while the soldier’s spirit roams the avenue where he ended his life.
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