Cape Town Castle and a KZN Hotel Top List of SA’s Most Haunted Places
- A data study ranked South Africa's most haunted places by counting how many publishers named each location across 34 lists and guides
- The Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town and the Nottingham Road Hotel in KZN each appeared in 13 out of 15 publishers' lists, placing them joint first
- More than 50 places made the cut, with 5 of the top 10 most haunted locations found in the Western Cape
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Twitter
Ahead of Halloween at the end of the month, data experts from playcasino.com analysed 34 published lists and travel guides from 15 different publishers to determine the country's most famous ghost stories. Out of more than 50 locations identified across South Africa, the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town and the Nottingham Road Hotel in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands tied for the top spot, each being featured by 13 out of the 15 publishers.
Colonial history and timeless legends lead the list
Built between 1666 and 1679, the Castle of Good Hope stands as South Africa's oldest surviving colonial building and is famously tied to 18th-century governor Pieter Gysbert van Noodt, as well as reports of a vanishing phantom dog. Meanwhile, the Nottingham Road Hotel is renowned for "Charlotte," a spirit said to haunt Room 10 following the death of her soldier lover in battle.
Ghost ships, abandoned hospitals, and highway spirits
Sharing third place with 11 publisher mentions each are the Uniondale ghost road—famous for the vanishing hitchhiker legend of Maria Charlotte Roux—and Matjiesfontein’s historic Lord Milner Hotel. Other notable entries in the top rankings include Cape Point's legendary Flying Dutchman ghost ship, Kimberley's Africana Library, Cape Town's Tokai Manor House, and Gauteng's abandoned Kempton Park Hospital.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
According to the compiled rankings, here are the places named most frequently across published guides:
1= Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town – 13
1= Nottingham Road Hotel, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands – 13
3= The Uniondale ghost road, Western Cape – 11
3= Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein, Western Cape – 11
5= The Flying Dutchman, Cape Point – 9
5= Africana Library, Kimberley – 9
7= Tokai Manor House, Cape Town – 7
7= Kempton Park Hospital, Gauteng – 7
7= The Old Gaol, Makhanda (Grahamstown) – 7
10= Smuts House, Irene – 5
10= Victoria Hotel, Pretoria – 5
Source: UGC
Maritime phantom, haunted libraries and abandoned hospitals
The list also includes the legendary Flying Dutchman, a phantom ship reported off Cape Point after sinking during a 1641 storm. In Kimberley, visitors to the Africana Library attribute misplaced books to Bertrand Dyer, its first qualified librarian. Meanwhile, Gauteng's Kempton Park Hospital has fueled spooky tales ever since it closed its doors on Boxing Day in 1996. Other notable mentions feature a ghostly rider said to visit Cape Town’s Tokai Manor House every New Year’s Eve, as well as Pretoria’s Victoria Hotel, where a resident spirit named Alfie allegedly fiddles with water taps.
Provincial breakdown and research insights
Geographically, the Western Cape leads the rankings with five of the top ten locations, followed by Gauteng with three, while KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern Cape, and the Eastern Cape each account for one site. Reflecting on the findings, the research team at playcasino.com explained that their goal was to identify the local legends that resonate most across the nation.
They noted that historic landmarks like the Castle of Good Hope and the Nottingham Road Hotel stand out because they remain accessible to the public and carry stories passed down through generations. Rather than proving supernatural activity, the study highlights the enduring places and urban legends that continue to capture South Africa's imagination.
3 Briefly News articles about Cape Town
- A viral TikTok clip showcasing an unusually narrow, two-storey home in Mfuleni, Cape Town, sparked a lively online debate over its unique architecture and outdoor concrete stairs.
- Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) made history in South Africa by using a powered Hypershell exoskeleton to help an exhausted 47-year-old mother safely descend Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain.
- A Cape Town TikToker touched hearts across Mzansi after going viral for using her own car and fuel to offer free driving lessons to youth under 21.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: Briefly News
