Worcester, town, Western Cape province, South Africa. It lies in the Breë River valley, between the rugged Dutoits and Hex River mountains, east-northeast of Cape Town. Worcester was founded in 1820 and attained municipal status in 1842. It is a prominent viticultural centre, and fruit processing and canning, brandy distilling, wool milling, and light manufacturing are its economic mainstays. The town has schools for the blind and the deaf. The Karoo National Botanic Garden (371 acres [150 hectares]), just north of the town, specializes in succulent plants indigenous to the Karoo region. Pop. (2001) 66,349.