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Cape Town the 'fittest' city

The city also had the greatest number of sports clubs, gyms, fitness facilities, and parks per 100,000 people.

Cape Town is the city with the fittest people in South Africa, according to an index by Discovery Vitality.

"The Mother City's urban infrastructure gives Capetonians the edge when it comes to facilities and an environment that encourages and facilitates exercise," the company said in a statement on Thursday.

"Cape Town's residents have the lowest car dependency in the country and are the biggest users of public transport."

The city also had the greatest number of sports clubs, gyms, fitness facilities, and parks per 100,000 people.

The Discovery Vitality Fittest City Index was developed to determine how each of the country's six major metropolitan areas ranked in physical activity-related health and infrastructure that promoted physical activity.

Data for the index was collected from "reliable, publicly-available resources and research" and was divided into four categories: personal health indicators, self-reported physical activity, transport, and sports facilities.

It found that Nelson Mandela Bay was the second fittest city. Tshwane, eThekwini, Johannesburg, and Ekurhuleni followed.

Head of vitality wellness at Discovery, Craig Nossel, said he hoped the index would encourage policy makers and local governments to create "supportive environments" to improve the health and physical profile activity of their cities.

"We'd like the index to act as motivation to encourage people to find opportunities to get active."

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