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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Gugulethu

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Gugulethu

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The bustling township of Gugulethu, South Africa, is well known around the world for its importance during the struggle against apartheid. However, there are many things you may not know about the “Gugs” community. Located just 15 kilometers from Cape Town, Gugulethu has a culture and history all its own.

Sources: CapeTown.Travel, Gugulethu-CapeTown.co.za, SA-Venues.com, SAHistory.org.za, GugsTenors.co.za, TheGuardian.com, Facts.TheFullWiki.org

This is an updated version of an article originally published on Oct. 9, 2014.

Flickr.com Anne-Sophie Leens
Flickr.com
Anne-Sophie Leens

“Gugulethu” is Xhosa for “Our Pride”

Though Gugulethu was originally named Nyanga West, it was renamed as a contraction of the Xhosa phrase, “Igugu Lethu,” meaning “Our Pride.”

Flickr.com Unique Day Tours
Flickr.com
Unique Day Tours

It was built to accommodate migrant workers moving to Cape Town

Migrant workers moving from the rural Transkei region or the homelands in the Eastern Cape Province came to the Cape Town area looking for work, but South African blacks were not allowed to live within the city during apartheid. Gugulethu, then known as Nyanga West, also absorbed inhabitants from nearby townships in Langa and Windermere as overcrowding and redistricting forced more people out.

Flickr.com Dplanet:
Flickr.com
Dplanet:

At the beginning, new arrivals to Gugulethu were assigned to rooms in hostels in designated zones

Up to three men could be found sharing tiny rooms within these hostels, and poverty and overcrowding were rampant. Now, although the former hostels still exist, more people live in tin shacks that were built to allow for greater privacy, as well as some brick and mortar houses for the region’s wealthier residents. The former designated zones have become numbered “hoods,” representing the different neighborhoods of Gugs.

Flickr.com Anne-Sophie Leens
Flickr.com
Anne-Sophie Leens

Gugulethu has embraced tourism

Gugulethu has no shortage of restaurants, bed and breakfasts, shebeens and more in an attempt to take advantage of the Western Cape’s vibrant tourism industry. It is also home to Mzoli’s Place, one of the best known braai joints in the country.

Flickr.com Scott MacLeod LIddle
Flickr.com
Scott MacLeod LIddle

Mzoli’s got its start as a butcher’s shop operating out of a garage

Founded by Mzoli Ngcawuzele, Mzoli’s opened in 2003 and has been extremely popular with both South Africans and visitors alike. Some Gugulethu residents, however, resent Mzoli’s, as it has garnered a reputation for loud tourists getting drunk and disrespecting the community.

En.Wikipedia.org
En.Wikipedia.org

Lwazi Primary, a school in Gugulethu, was featured in Clint Eastwood’s film, “Invictus”

When the filmmakers discovered that Lwazi Primary’s girls’ and boys’ football teams had both won nearly every trophy in the Western Cape, they were featured in “Invictus.” The teams, along with their coach, math teacher Xolile Madikane, are a source of pride in the Gugulethu community.

Flickr.com Anne-Sophie Leens
Flickr.com
Anne-Sophie Leens

Between 2005 and 2010, over 700 people were murdered in Gugulethu

Data collected by the South African Institute of Race Relations shows that over 700 people were murdered in Gugulethu between 2005 and 2010, amounting to one murder every two-and-a-half days for five consecutive years. The numbers are disturbingly high, especially given that Gugs only occupies 2.5 square miles of land (6.5 square kilometers).

En.Wikipedia.org
En.Wikipedia.org

Gugulethu’s main drive, Steve Biko Drive, was renamed in September 2012

Steve Biko Drive was originally known as NY1, standing for “Native Yard 1.” Pressure to change the NY terminology mounted in recent years, and for main streets to be renamed. Authorities eventually renamed Gugulethu’s main route to honor apartheid activist Steve Biko. Other streets in Gugulethu are being renamed after Albert Luthuli, Amy Biehl, Ray Alexander, and the Gugulethu Seven.

SynergyIncomeFund.com
SynergyIncomeFund.com

Gugulethu’s Square Mall has been the scene of development and controversy

While Gugulethu’s Square Mall represents the increasing economic power of the community, it has also been a source of controversy, as many local businesses have been evicted to make room for the development. Other allegations of corruption, nepotism, and controversy over employment practices, namely a disclusion of the local community, have also been associated with the project.

Flickr.com Government ZA
Flickr.com
Government ZA

The Gugulethu Seven Memorial was unveiled in March 2000 on Human Rights Day

The Gugulethu Seven Memorial is located on a busy street corner in Gugulethu near the spot where seven youths were murdered by police on March 3, 1986. It commemorates the death of the young men, but also the community’s commitment to nation building and freedom. The granite statues feature seven figures cut from concrete slabs, and are suggestive of play, dance, and resistance.