Our Community

KHAYELITSHA

Baphumelele is located in the township of Khayelitsha (meaning “new home”), located 20 kilometres southeast of Cape Town. Initially an informal settlement in the late 1970s, Khayelitsha has grown into a community of over one million residents.

Khayelitsha is one of the most marginalised and poverty-stricken townships in South Africa. Many residents live in self-constructed wooden or corrugated tin shacks, without access to clean water, electricity, or sanitation. Basic education and health care facilities are lacking. The unemployment rate in Khayelitsha officially stands at a staggering 50%; in reality, the figure is unfortunately higher.

Khayelitsha has one of the highest incidences of HIV/Aids infection in all of South Africa – this in a country that the United Nations Aids Foundation recognizes as having the second highest HIV/Aids rates globally (behind India).

Reliable estimates suggest there are as many as 14,000 orphans in Khayelitsha, the majority as a result of the Aids pandemic. Whilst some 27% of adults are HIV positive, amongst expectant mothers this figure may be as high as 40%.