Our Community, Gugulethu

Gugulethu is a township in the Western Cape province, situated about 15 kilometers outside the city center of Cape Town. Gugulethu was originally named Nyanga-West, but the township's name was changed to Gugulethu (a combination of the Xhosa words igugu lethu meaning 'our pride') in 1965. The Group Areas Act established Gugulethu in 1958 when another township, known as Langa, became overcrowded as it was the only residential area designated for black people at the time. 

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During Apartheid, black South Africans were forcibly relocated outside of the Cape Town City Center into townships explicitly created for black Africans, as they were not allowed to live within Cape Town. These townships served as physical barriers to separate black South Africans from coloured and white South Africans, until the end of Apartheid in the 1990s. To this day, the impacts of Apartheid are felt, as this structure of divisions created the inequalities present today. Gugulethu remains to be a predominantly black area and is known for its tight-knit community.

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To this day, residents of Gugulethu face many challenges due to the area's infrastructure with added challenges brought on by high cases of crime as the population has continued to increase rapidly since its establishment. As of 2011, the reported population of Gugulethu was just above 98,000 people, with an unemployment rate of 39.84%, as stated by the City of Cape Town Census Suburb of Gugulethu. Today, it is estimated there are well over 100,000 residents in Gugulethu. A majority of residents rely on public transportation within Gugulethu, including to and from the KTC Day Hospital. The limited number of ambulances and the financial burden of paying for public transport only creates further obstacles for people trying to access healthcare services within this community.