PORT ALFRED is proud to be part of CACADU District - ranked as the third-largest economy of all the districts.

Agriculture dominates the district's economy, and there is also small-stock farming in the interior. Cacadu is the centre of the wool and mohair industry in the Eastern Cape. Cattle and dairy farming is strong around Grahamstown, Cookhouse, Alexandria and Humansdorp. There is citrus farming from the Sundays and Fish Rivers. From St. Francis there is a small fishing industry centred on rock lobster. Tourism is well developed in Cacadu and there is a group of tourism routes established in the district. Popular tourism attractions include Jeffrey's Bay and most important, beautiful Port Alfred on the fabulous Route 72.

Cacadu District, which was formerly the Western district, covers the rural western areas of the province. This district is the largest of the districts and has an area of 58, 242 square kilometers. The coastal parts of the district have temperate winter rainfall, with around 500 -700 mm of rain per year. The Tsitsikamma and Baviaans parks lie in the west of the district close to the Western Cape. The interior of the Cacadu District is mainly dry Karoo and grasslands comprised of commercial farms. In spite of the barren interior, the Sundays and Fish Rivers maintain large irrigated farming and these rivers are supplied by water from the Orange River. The only eco-system not found in the Cacadu District is the true desert. The district is one of the finest game viewing areas in South Africa. Just look at the plethora of world-class game reserves within this area.

Grahamstown is home to Rhodes University and the National Arts Festival. Cacadu is home to the Addo Elephant Park. The district has a marine protected area stretching 120 000ha across the Indian Ocean, and acts as a southern extension of the Addo elephant Park, and so Cacadu is home to the world´s first "big seven" game reserve. Cacadu is also home to the world´s highest commercial bungy jump, the first tree top canopy tour in South Africa, the highest narrow gauge bridge in the world. Tt even boasts one of only four ROYAL golf courses in the country - Royal Port Alfred.

Cacadu has more 363, 585 people living here, which is the second-smallest population of the districts. There are only six people living in the rural district per square kilometre, as the people living on the coast and more inland are often hundreds of kilometres apart. This district has many Coloureds living there, and Africans in the majority, and a higher number of Whites living there than in other districts. The main language in the towns is Afrikaans. However, English is the predominant business language.