Gugulethu is a township in the Western Cape, South Africa and is 15 km from Cape Town. Its name is a contraction of igugu lethu, which is Xhosa for our pride. The township was established along with Nyanga in the 1960s.
History
The name is a contraction of igugu lethu, which is Xhosa for our pride. Gugulethu, along with Nyanga, was established in the 1960s due to the overcrowding of Langa, which was the only black residential area for Cape Town at the time. During the Apartheid era black South Africans were not permitted to live in the city of Cape Town, and many people were removed from areas such as District Six to Gugulethu, Nyanga, and Langa. The predominant language in Gugulethu is Xhosa. Gugulethu is passionately called or referred to as "Gugs" by the locals, which is a nickname stemming from the shortening of the name Gugulethu.
Black residents living in Windermere were forcibly moved to Gugulethu when it was declared a black township. Windermere was declared by Apartheid regime to be a colored area.
Gugulethu was one of the first townships in Cape Town to have a community information technology Center to provide training in multimedia and youth development.
Places of interest
The 'Gugulethu Seven Memorial' was built to commemorate the life of seven activists that were ambushed and killed by the South African security forces on March 3, 1986. The activists were members of uMkhonto weSizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). The seven murdered were Jabulani Godfery Miya, Zandisile Zenith Mjobo, Zola Alfred Swelani, Mandla Simon Mxinwa, Themba Mlifi, Zabonke, John Konile, and Christopher Piet. On Human Rights Day 2000, the memorial was unveiled.
The Cape Town Jazz Safari is a tour which highlights musical history and jazz in Gugulethu. Gugulethu Square was created in 2009 as a central business district in the township. Gugulethu Indoor Sports Complex is an indoor all year round community facility. Mzoli is a Tshisa Nyama in Gugulethu. It is a meat market and a party. Customers buy meat that is cooked on the spot and accompanied by music. It is stated that it attracts about 30,000 people in a single weekend. Liziwe's Guest house is owned by Liziwe Ngcokoto. It opened in 2005 and is a member of Cape Town Tourism and Chamber of Commerce. Maboneng Township Arts Experience in Gugulethu and Langa. Tours that turn homes into art galleries where local artists and crafters turn their homes into art galleries. This is an entrepreneurship project. Ntonga Music School – in Gugulethu
Notable people
Loyiso Gola, stand-up comedian
Ayabulela Konqobe, footballer
Sindiwe Magona, author
Abigail Mbalo-Mokoena, restaurateur
Mandisa Monakali, the founder and executive director of Ilitha Labantu
Bantu Mzwakali, footballer
Thando Mngomeni, former South Africa national football team player
Siv Ngesi, actor, comedian, presenter
Nobulumko Nkondlo, politician, Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
Ray Ntlokwana, actor
Jonathan Ntutu, para-athlete & paralympian, South Africa's fastest ever para-athlete Tony Yengeni, politician, former Chief Whip of the African National Congress
Crime
According to data collected by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) over 700 people were murdered in Gugulethu between 2005 and 2010. "This amounts to one murder every two-and-a-half days for five consecutive years."
In a 2017 study of the 50 most violent cities in the world, Cape Town ranked number 15. Latin America cities ranked the highest with having 42 cities. Brazil having 17, Mexico 12, and Venezuela having five.