Gugulethu

Coordinates: 33°59′S 18°34′E / 33.983°S 18.567°E / -33.983; 18.567
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gugulethu
From top,
Postal code
(street)
7750, 7752, 7756

Gugulethu is a township in the Western Cape, South Africa and is 15 km from Cape Town.[2] Its name is a contraction of igugu lethu, which is Xhosa for our pride. The township was established along with Nyanga in the 1960s.[3]

History

The name is a contraction of igugu lethu, which is

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.[4]

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.[5]

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).[6] 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.[7]

  • The Cape Town Jazz Safari is a tour which highlights musical history and jazz in Gugulethu.[8]
  • Gugulethu Square was created in 2009 as a central business district in the township.[9][10]
  • Gugulethu Indoor Sports Complex is an indoor all year round community facility.[11]
  • 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.[12][8]
  • 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.[13]
  • 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.[14]
  • Ntonga Music School – in Gugulethu [15]

Notable people

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."[17]

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.[18]

Notable incidents

Organisations and projects in Gugulethu

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Main Place Gugulethu". Census 2011.
  2. ^ Church, St. Joan of Arc. "Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Community - St. Joan of Arc Church". www.stjoan.com.
  3. ^ "Gugulethu Township | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  4. ^ Leander (8 November 2013). "Gugulethu Township".
  5. ^ "Gugulethu". www.sa-venues.com.
  6. ^ Leander (8 November 2013). "Gugulethu Township".
  7. ^ "Gugulethu Seven Memorial". www.sa-venues.com.
  8. ^ a b "Gugulethu, Cape Town: The Official Guide". 18 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Gugulethu Square - Home". Gugulethu Square.
  10. ^ "Gugulethu Gets Large Shopping Mall - Property24.com". www.property24.com.
  11. ^ "Gugulethu Sports Centre - Noero Architects". www.noeroarchitects.com.
  12. ^ "Directions from Cape Town to Mzoli's in Gugulethu". www.capetownmagazine.com.
  13. ^ "Liziwe's Guest House in Gugulethu, Cape Town". www.sa-venues.com.
  14. ^ "Maboneng Township Arts Experience". www.sa-venues.com.
  15. ^ "Visiting Ntonga Music School In Gugulethu South Africa - Playing for Change". 15 June 2012.
  16. ^ "Celebrating 8 of the Most Influential Black South African Women Writers". 25 July 2016.
  17. ^ Sapa (16 November 2010). "Over 700 murders in Gugulethu since 2005". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  18. ^ "These were the 50 most violent cities in the world in 2017". Business Insider.
  19. ^ "Remembering the Gugulethu Seven". www.capetownmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  20. ^ "Apartheid security police lured youth 'to their slaughter' - ex-Mandela cop". News24.
  21. ^ "Apartheid-era police officers 'decorated' for violent acts - ex-Mandela cop". News24.
  22. ^ Jan Herman (27 January 1994). "Amy Biehl Was a Casualty of the System". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ^ Dan Newling (8 December 2014). "Dewani trial: what really happened and how did police get it so wrong?". The Guardian.
  24. ^ Sesant, Siyabonga. "'Rehabilitation of cannibal killer unlikely'".
  25. ^ "CTown man alive when heart ripped out – cop". The Citizen. 7 October 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.
  26. ^ "Gugulethu 'heart eater' pleads guilty to murder". 2 February 2015.
  27. ^ Tswanya, Yolisa. "'Cannibal' sentenced to 18 years". www.iol.co.za.
  28. ^ "'Cannibal' was coerced into ripping out heart, court hears". News24.
  29. ^ "'Boko Haram' vs 'Guptas': winner-takes-all battle behind Gugulethu shooting". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  30. ^ Fisher, Shamiela. "Gugulethu mass shooting death toll rises to 8, police still hunting shooters". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2020-11-04.