Township In Cape Town Research Articles

A Disposable Diaper Collection Project in Langa, Cape Town, South Africa: A Pilot Study.

In developing countries, there is currently no established waste management plan that includes resource recovery from used disposable diapers (DDs) apart from incineration and landfilling. In low-income areas with limited storage space, the complex composition and odour of used DDs make it impossible to manage properly if not supported by effective waste management systems. In the absence of effective waste management, DDs are dumped in open spaces, burned or buried. These actions pose threats to the safety and health of humans, animals and the environment. Separation and collection of DDs are critical preliminary steps to landfilling, recycling or beneficiation. In this article, we describe a case study of two pilot collection projects in Langa township in Cape Town, South Africa, to determine whether and how a source-separated collection system can work in low-income, resource-constrained areas. The lessons learned highlighted the following: The eagerness of parents to participate for the benefit of their own and their children's health; the complementarity of the two pilot collection models to serve the needs of the community; the important role non-government organisations play in the implementation of waste management projects; the significance of the possible job creation opportunities and the unintended benefits of enhancing social cohesion. The financial sustainability of these projects needs further exploration.

The struggle for housing and basic services in South Africa: a case for service delivery protests

ABSTRACT This paper examines how struggles for housing and other basic services such as water and electricity are characterised in South Africa. There has been a shift in categorising local protests from the previously accepted “service delivery protests” to other phrases such as “local political protests” or “local protests” or “community protests.” Drawing from data gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in Gugulethu and Khayelitsha, two townships in Cape Town, South Africa, I argue that these new concepts conceal the service delivery-related challenges faced by poor communities throughout South Africa. The paper’s focus on housing stems from the fact that a house often functions as a site where several services come together. While protests are nuanced and have varying reasons, they have a large service delivery component. As such, the study of protest in South Africa will benefit from research that spotlights service delivery problems. This also helps to highlight the prevalence of such protests throughout the country.

PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATIONS OF HYPERTENSION DETECTION, TREATMENT AND CONTROL IN SOUTH AFRICA

Objective: Hypertension prevalence is high and rising in South Africa; however, hypertension care remains sub-optimal. The aim was to determine, among participants with hypertension, the prevalence and associations of hypertension care (detection, treatment and control) in Cape Town. Design and method: This randomly selected community-based cross-sectional study was conducted across five townships in Cape Town using a 3-stage cluster sampling procedure. Cardiovascular disease risk factors were determined by administered questionnaires, clinical measurements and fasting biochemical analyses, including oral glucose tolerance tests. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure >=140/90 mmHg or known hypertension on treatment. The Chronic kidney disease (CKD) Epidemiology Collaboration equation was used to define CKD as glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73m2. Separate logistic regression models evaluated the associations with hypertension detection, treatment and control. Each model comprised sociodemographic characteristics, family history of hypertension, obesity (body mass index >=30 kg/m2), problem drinking, daily tobacco smoking and comorbidities of diabetes, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and CKD. Results: Among 460 participants with hypertension, 50.7 (SD±12.1) years, hypertension detection (62.4%), treatment (47.2%) and control (27%) were sub-optimal, and rates were better in women (73.6%, 58.9%, 34.8%, respectively) compared with men (41.6%, 25.5%, 12.4%) (p<0.001 for all). Hypertension detection among participants with hypertension was associated with increasing age (OR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.04-1.09), female gender (OR: 3.20, 95%CI:1.75-5.84), urbanisation (OR:1.01), family history of hypertension (OR: 1.77, 95%CI:1.06-2.94), and co-morbidities of diabetes (OR: 3.30, 95%CI: 1.70-6.42) and CKD (OR: 5.04, 95%CI: 1.07-23.64). Participants in the lowest wealth tertile were less likely to have their hypertension detected (OR: 0.56, 95%CI: 0.29-0.95). Hypertension treatment was associated with increasing age, female gender, low education, family history of hypertension, diabetes and CKD. Hypertension control was associated with increasing age, female gender and comorbid diabetes. Conclusions: Participants who were older, female, and with co-morbidities were more likely to have better hypertension care overall, while the poorest participants were less likely to have their hypertension detected. Strategies are required to ensure equitable distribution of hypertension care and target individuals less likely to use healthcare services. In-depth research is required to understand the contributors to suboptimal hypertension care.

Selecting a birth weight standard for an indigenous population in a LMIC: A prospective comparative study.

The aim of the present study was to compare birth weight (BW) distribution and proportion of BWs below or above specified percentiles in low-risk singleton pregnancies in healthy South African (SA) women of mixed ancestry with expected values according to four BW references and to determine the physiological factors affecting BW. This was an ancillary study of a prospective multinational cohort study, involving 7060 women recruited between August 2007 and January 2015 in two townships of Cape Town, characterized by low socioeconomic status, and high levels of drinking and smoking. Detailed information about maternal and pregnancy characteristics, including harmful exposures, was gathered prospectively, allowing us to select healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies without any known harmful exposures. In this cohort we compared the median BW and the proportion of BWs <P3, 5 and 10 or >P90, 95 and 97 according to four reference standards (INTERGROWTH-21st, customized according to the method described by Mickolajczyk, Fetal Medicine Foundation and revised Fenton reference) with expected values. Appropriate parametric and nonparametric tests were used, and sensitivity analysis was performed for infant sex, first trimester bookings and women of normal body mass index (BMI). Multiple regression was used to explore effects of confounders. Written consent and ethics approval was obtained. The cohort included 739 infants. The INTERGROWTH-21st standard was closest for the actual BW-distribution and categories. Below-expected BW was associated with boys, younger, shorter, leaner women, lower parity and gravidity. Actual BW was significantly influenced by maternal weight, BMI, parity and gestational age. Of the four references assessed in this study, the INTERGROWTH-21st standard was closest for the actual BW distribution. Maternal variables significantly influence BW.

The limited hospitality career knowledge of learners In Township High Schools, Cape Town

The hospitality sector contributes positively towards the SDG’s by addressing youth employment and economic challenges, specifically in South Africa. Therefore, awareness and knowledge regarding careers and opportunities that are available within the hospitality industry are vital. As a result, high schools are encouraged to incorporate the relevant knowledge about careers within the curriculum. Hence, this paper reports on the level of hospitality knowledge of high school learners in Cape Town townships. This was a cross-sectional study that followed a quantitative approach, whereby data was collected using questionnaires. Respondents were 720 pre-matric (Grade 11) learners who attended school in townships. Data were analysed using the Number Cruncher Statistical System (NCSS) 9. Thirty-seven per cent (37,2%) of the learners indicated that they received information about the hospitality industry through various platforms . The findings above are substantiated by the results that indicate that most learners (67.2%) know nothing about the hospitality industry. Furthermore, a few learners (28,5%) indicated to know about the industry. To support this statement, 8,8% mentioned available careers to be within the medical field. The present findings showcase the knowledge gaps that exist at the high school level, and this has a negative effect on the career choice and employment opportunities the hospitality industry offers. This calls for an intervention from higher education and industry to address identified gaps. The findings of the study share valuable insights regarding limited access to hospitality careers. This is a challenge because it hinders knowledge of career and employment opportunities.

Feminist Ethnographic Qualitative Interviews Unveiling Gender-Based Violence Targeting Black Lesbians in Cape Town Townships

Feminist Ethnographic Qualitative Interviews Unveiling Gender-Based Violence Targeting Black Lesbians in Cape Town Townships

Systems Perspectives on Business and Peace: The Contingent Nature of Business-Related Action with Respect to Peace Positive Impacts

AbstractWe examine three business-related initiatives designed to achieve peace positive impacts in the Cape Town township of Langa. Each was seemingly straightforward in its purpose, logic, and implementation. However, their positive intent was frustrated and their impacts ultimately harmful to their articulated goals. Understanding why this is so can be difficult in violent, turbulent, and information-poor environments such as Langa, confounding progress even by actors with ethical intentions. To aid in sense making and to provide insight for more positive future action, we develop from 125 interviews conducted for this study causal loop models for these initiatives within their conflict subsystems. These explain the perverse impacts of these initiatives by illuminating their (lack of) salience to key conflict factors, their (in)sufficiency to effect positive change in light of competing systems dynamics, and their (in)attentiveness to interdependencies with the intentions and actions of others. We thus contribute to understanding of the factors required to achieve positive social outcomes in more extreme contexts. More generally, we demonstrate the value of systems analysis both for scholarship related to business and peace and for reducing blind spots that can inhibit sound planning for ethical business action amidst complexity.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOD INSECURITY, THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS

Food insecurity is endemic in South Africa because of high levels of poverty. Children in foodinsecure households may be exposed to childcare instabilities. However, the role of social protection in mediating the relationship between food insecurity and childcare arrangements is not well understood. This study explored the relationship between food insecurity, childcare arrangements and the child support grant (CSG) in a township in Cape Town. The study designwas mixed-methods; a hunger scale was administered to 120 participants and in-depth interviews conducted with 23 primary caregivers of children under 2 years of age. The findings indicated that despite being food insecure, many households had stable childcare arrangements, presumably because of the CSG and the age of the children at the time of the study. Further research is needed to unpack the relationship between food insecurity, childcare arrangementsand the CSG. Keywords: childcare arrangements, child support grant, food insecurity

The three-item patient-reported instrument for retrospective adherence in resource constrained settings: reliability, validity and potential utility.

Patient-report instruments remain the most feasible and sustainable approaches for monitoring medication adherence in clinical settings. However, questions of their reliability and validity persist. Studies suggest that the 3-item instrument for retrospective adherence (IRA) developed by Wilson et al. offers a viable option for clinically monitoring medication adherence. Here we report the reliability and validity of the IRA among patients recruited from community-based HIV clinics and antiretroviral therapy (ART) dispensaries in a resource constrained township in Cape Town, South Africa. Women (n = 794) and men (n = 228) receiving ART completed the IRA at three time points: (a) in a face-to-face administration at enrollment (b) in1-week phone interview and (c) 1-month phone interview. Participants also provided contemporaneous blood samples for HIV viral load testing as a clinical outcome and unannounced phone-based pill counts as an objective assessment of ART adherence. The IRA was internally consistent and showed evidence of time stability. The IRA also demonstrated validity with respect to pill count adherence, correlates of adherence, and HIV viral load. Response operating curve analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.646, using 75% adherence as the cut-off, with 0.637 sensitivity and 0.567 specificity. The IRA demonstrated reliability, construct validity and criterion validity in a resource constrained setting, supporting use of the IRA in research and clinical care.

Perceptions of Leisure-time Physical Activity for People Living with Disabilities amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic in the City of Cape Town, South Africa

Background: Leisure time physical activity is an essential part of taking care of the body and the mind. It assists in keeping our bodies healthy and functioning. However, COVID-19 challenged the community’s ability to engage in leisure time physical activity. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of leisure-time physical activity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the City of Cape Town for people with disabilities. Methods: The study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative research design, making use of semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. The study used a purposive sampling technique to recruit participants from NGOs’ in the City of Cape Town townships, which caters to people with disabilities. Eight participants were recruited and interviewed for this study. The participants were free and voluntarily to participate in the study, were able to withdraw from the study at any time, and were made aware of their rights. Results: The study reported two themes which are leisure time physical activity during and post COVID-19 and leisure time physical activity support to advance participation. Results have shown that the participants had different perceptions of leisure time physical activity and they engaged in different leisure time physical activities of their own understanding. The challenges people with disabilities experienced were similar during and post the COVID-19 pandemic and they included a lack of facilities and financial support. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a psychological and physical impact on the participants and more resources need to be made available to advance leisure time physical activity for people with disabilities.

Disposable Diaper Usage and Disposal Practices in Samora Machel Township, South Africa

Single-use disposable diapers have a major impact on climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, especially those that are unlined, and particularly when such diapers are not well-managed and dumped in water courses and open spaces or burnt. The aim of this study was to explore the current usage and disposal practices of disposable diaper users in Samora Machel, a township in Cape Town, South Africa. The findings were to be used to inform the design and implementation of a pilot diaper collection model to follow. This urban/peri-urban area comprises lower-income, high-density communities in formal basic housing, with many backyarders and informal shacks. The dumping of diapers in open spaces and sewage systems causes severe problems. Therefore, we employed a theoretical socio-ecological system approach to guide the understanding of these complex environmental issues; the data collection methodology entailed a community-based participatory study process. Four hundred and eight (408) questionnaires consisting of quantitative and qualitative answers were codeveloped with members of the community and completed by trained community-based fieldworkers. A community walkabout and two focus groups provided rich data. The results show that complex waste streams such as disposable diapers and the related environmental issues are testing the limits of current management approaches; managing disposable diapers in underserved low-income communities creates a major burden for these already fragile communities. Single solutions will not suffice for these complex problems, so innovative waste management systems need to be codesigned with communities and relevant stakeholders to ensure sustainability, equality, and social justice.

Development and Evaluation of a Digital HIV Risk Assessment Tool incorporated within an App-Based Self-Testing Program.

Low risk perception is an important barrier to the utilisation of HIV services. In this context, offering an online platform for people to assess their risk of HIV and inform their decision to test can be impactful in increasing testing uptake. Using secondary data from the HIVSmart! quasi-randomised trial, we aimed to identify predictors of HIV, develop a risk staging model for South African township populations, and validate it in combination with the HIVSmart! digital self-testing program. Townships in Cape Town, South Africa. Using Bayesian predictive projection, we identified predictors of HIV and constructed a risk assessment model that we validated in external data. Our analyses included 3095 participants from the HIVSmart! trial. We identified a model of five predictors (being unmarried, HIV testing history, having had sex with a partner living with HIV, dwelling situation, and education) that performed best during external validation (AUC-ROC, 89% CrI: 0.71, 0.68 - 0.72). The sensitivity of our HIV risk staging model was 91.0% (89.1% - 92.7%) and the specificity was 13.2% (8.5% - 19.8%); but increased when combined with a digital HIV self-testing program, the specificity was 91.6% (95.9% - 96.4%) and sensitivity remained similar at 90.9% (89.1% - 92.6%). This is the first validated digital HIV risk assessment tool developed for South African township populations and the first study to evaluate the added value of a risk assessment tool with an App-based HIV self-testing program. Study findings are relevant for application of digital programs to improve utilization of HIV testing services.

The impact of a decentralised orthopaedic service on tertiary referrals in Cape Town, South Africa.

In South Africa (SA), district hospitals (DHs) have limited capacity to manage the high burden of traumatic injuries. Scaling up decentralised orthopaedic care could strengthen trauma systems and improve timely access to essential and emergency surgical care (EESC). Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, SA, has the highest trauma burden in the Cape Metro East health district. The primary objective of this study was to describe the impact of Khayelitsha District Hospital (KDH) on acute orthopaedic services in the health district, with a focus on the volume and type of orthopaedic services provided without tertiary referral. This retrospective analysis described acute orthopaedic cases from Khayelitsha and their management between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019. Orthopaedic resources and the proportion of cases referred to the tertiary hospital by all DHs in the Cape Metro East health district are described. In 2018 - 2019, KDH performed 2 040 orthopaedic operations, of which 91.3% were urgent or emergencies. KDH had the most orthopaedic resources and the lowest referral ratio (0.18) compared with other DHs (0.92 - 1.35). In Khayelitsha, 2 402 acute orthopaedic cases presented to community health clinics. Trauma (86.1%) was the most common mechanism of injury for acute orthopaedic referrals. Of clinic cases, 2 229 (92.8%) were referred to KDH and 173 (7.2%) directly to the tertiary hospital. The most common reason for direct tertiary referral was condition related (n=157; 90.8%). This study outlines a successful example of a decentralised orthopaedic surgical service that increased EESC accessibility and alleviated the high burden of tertiary referrals compared with other DHs with fewer resources. Further research on the barriers to scaling up orthopaedic DH capacity in SA is needed to improve equitable access to surgical care.

‘This country beyond the township’: Race, class and higher education mobilities in the post-apartheid city

This paper examines the impact of educational mobilities on the lives of university students from an urban working-class township in South Africa. In highly unequal urban contexts, these mobilities provide access to valuable material resources and engender subjective transformations that facilitate access to higher education spaces. Based on fieldwork with students from Khayelitsha, a black urban township in Cape Town, it argues that these mobilities are shaped histories of racial segregation, demands of globalizing labour markets, and students’ personal readings of changing urban environments. Drawing on the concept of mobility capital, the paper suggests that even as these movements enable access to educational opportunities, they do not automatically generate the forms of capital required for social mobility. While students used mobilities to access higher education, they struggled to develop the social networks, embodied dispositions, language skills and cultural competencies that would provide social advantage. Rather, their experiences on campus reveal how mobility capital is structured by material and symbolic inequalities, which are frequently alienating and exclusionary. Finally, the paper emphasizes the importance of everyday movements and attachments between home and university spaces to the formation of student identities.

PS-P11-7: DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION SELF-MANAGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FROM SOUTH AFRICAN PATIENTS AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Objective: This study aimed to unravel experiences, identify barriers to self management of diabetes and hypertension and solicit solutions for enhancing chronic disease self management from patients and their healthcare providers. Design and Methods: This was a qualitative study which collected data from eight in-depth interviews conducted with healthcare providers and four focus group discussions among patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension receiving chronic disease care from two health facilities in a large peri-urban Township in Cape Town, South Africa. The Self Management framework described by Lorig and Holman, based on work done by Corbin and Strauss was used to analyse the data Results: Patients experienced challenges across all three self management tasks of behavioural or medical management, role management and emotional management. Main challenges included poor patient self-control towards lifestyle modification, sub-optimal patient-provider and family partnerships and post-diagnosis grief-reactions by patients. Barriers experienced were stigma, socio-economic and cultural influences, provider-patient communication gaps, disconnect between facility-based services and patients lived experiences and inadequate community care services. Patients suggested empowering community-based solutions to strengthen their disease self-management including dedicated multidisciplinary chronic disease management services, counselling services, strengthened family support, patient buddy system, patient-led community projects and advocacy. Providers suggested contextualised communication using audio-visual technologies and patient-centred provider consultations. Conclusions: Patients experienced several barriers to self-management of their chronic disease. Community-based dedicated multidisciplinary chronic disease healthcare teams, chronic disease counselling services, patient-driven projects towards healthy lifestyle and diet, and advocacy are needed to improve patient self-management. This will contribute towards SDG 3

Urbana morfologija na periferiji juga Afrike

Urban form in African cities is dynamic, unpredictable and in constant flux. Urban morphology remains mostly undocumented in Southern Africa as an emerging region. Current processes of informal land occupation, changing suburbia and incremental settlement transformation patterns present fragile, yet interesting morphological characteristics that are worthy of interpretation. How are we understanding, representing, and anticipating changing southern urban form and what is the value-add of understanding urban morphology in Southern Africa? In the absence of any formalised network of ISUF in Southern Africa, there is the potential to make a meaningful contribution to urban morphology and its associated processes and agents. Three case study perspectives from practice, research and teaching are explained to understand urban form in South Africa, as follows: 1). community-led data collection on urban form and social practice based on evidence from experiences in Cape Town townships; 2). area-based partnerships based on examples from informal settlement upgrading in Khayelitsha; and 3). deliberate and engaged teaching and learning currently taking place in the urban design programme at the University of Cape Town. Urban morphological approaches in the global south must be multi-scalar, relevant, valuable, and most importantly, affordable. This requires stripping out of irrelevant principles and techniques and focusing on low-cost, low maintenance and sustainable AI and labour-intensive of understanding the changing city. The future development of African cities needs to take a significant stand on the role of socio-economic realities, political action, local agency, and their relationships with urban form.

Utilizing Soccer for Delivery of HIV and Substance Use Prevention for Young South African Men: 6-Month Outcomes of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Young men in South Africa face the intersecting epidemics of HIV, substance use and endemic poverty. We tested the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention using soccer training to reduce the cluster of risks associated with HIV and substance use. This cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with men aged 18–29 years old in 27 neighborhoods in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. Neighborhoods were randomized to receive for 6 months either: (1) Soccer League (SL; n = 18 neighborhoods, n = 778 men) who attended soccer three times weekly (72 sessions; 94% uptake, 45.5% weekly attendance rate), combined with an HIV/substance use, cognitive-behavioral intervention; or (2) a Control Condition (CC; n = 9; 415 men) who received educational materials and referrals at 3 month intervals. The primary outcome was the number of significant changes in a cluster of outcomes including HIV-related risks, substance abuse, employment/income, mental health, violence, and community engagement. There was only one significant difference on the rapid diagnostic tests for mandrax at 6 months, an insufficient number of changes to indicate a successful intervention. A group-based behavioral intervention was ineffective in addressing multiple risk behaviors among at-risk young men, similar to the findings of several recent soccer-related interventions. Early adulthood may be too late to alter well-established patterns of risk behaviors.Clinical Trial Registration This trial was prospectively registered on 24 November 2014 with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02358226.

Diabetes self-management: a qualitative study on challenges and solutions from the perspective of South African patients and health care providers

ABSTRACT Background Health education and self-management are among key strategies for managing diabetes and hypertension to reduce morbidity and mortality. Inappropriate self-management support can potentially worsen chronic diseases outcomes if relevant barriers are not identified and self-management solutions are not contextualised. Few studies deliberately solicit suggestions for enhancing self-management from patients and their providers. Objective This qualitative study aimed to unravel experiences, identify self-management barriers, and solicit solutions for enhancing self-management from patients and their healthcare providers. Methods Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with healthcare providers. These were followed by four focus group discussions among patients with type-2- diabetes and or hypertension receiving chronic disease care from two health facilities in a peri-urban township in Cape Town, South Africa. The Self-Management framework described by Lorig and Holman, based on work done by Corbin and Strauss was used to analyse the data. Results Patients experienced challenges across all three self-management tasks of behavioural/medical management, role management, and emotional management. Main challenges included poor patient self-control towards lifestyle modification, sub-optimal patient-provider and family partnerships, and post-diagnosis grief-reactions by patients. Barriers experienced were stigma, socio-economic and cultural influences, provider-patient communication gaps, disconnect between facility-based services and patients’ lived experiences, and inadequate community care services. Patients suggested empowering community-based solutions to strengthen their disease self-management, including dedicated multidisciplinary diabetes services, counselling services; strengthened family support; patient buddies; patient-led community projects, and advocacy. Providers suggested contextualised communication using audio-visual technologies and patient-centred provider consultations. Conclusions Community-based dedicated multidisciplinary chronic disease healthcare teams, chronic disease counselling services, patient-driven projects and advocacy are needed to improve patient self-management.

Being near the action: bed and breakfast and guesthouse entrepreneurs and the hosting of black South African domestic tourists in the Cape Town townships

This article examines how black female bed and breakfast (B&B) and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the black townships of Cape Town, South Africa were providing accommodations to black South African domestic tourists that allowed these tourists to ‘be near the action’ in the townships. ‘Being near the action’ refers to being able to conveniently attend various life-cycle events, such as weddings, funerals, and circumcision celebrations that involve friends and/or family, or engage in work, business, and other activities in the townships. This research contributes to tourism mobilities studies by explaining how these entrepreneurs impacted and were being impacted by domestic tourism and how the social spaces or ‘moorings’ of the entrepreneurs’ accommodations produced and reproduced social and cultural life. In addition, this study provides an understanding of tourism in Africa, and specifically domestic tourism in South Africa, related to the discretionary mobilities of a growing population of middle-class black South Africans. For this study, data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with black female B&Bs and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the townships of Langa, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha. The article also includes a discussion of the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic’s halting of travel mobilities on the economic sustainability of these entrepreneurs.

Cardiometabolic profile and leukocyte telomere length in a Black South African population

Several studies have reported a possible association between leucocyte telomere length (LTL) and cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs). However, studies investigating such association are lacking in South Africa despite having a very high prevalence of CMDs. We investigated the association between LTL and CMD risk profile in a black South African population. This was a cross-sectional study with participants > 21 years of age and residing in five townships in Cape Town. CMD markers were compared between men and women and across quartiles of LTL. Linear and logistic regressions relate increasing quartile and Log10LTL with CMD risk profile, with appropriate adjustment. Among 676-participants, diabetes, obesity and hypertension prevalence were 11.5%, 23.1% and 47.5%. Waist-circumference, hip-circumference and highly sensitive c-reactive protein values were significantly higher in women (all p < 0.001), while HDL-C (p = 0.023), creatinine (p = 0.005) and gamma glutamyl transferase (p < 0.001) values were higher in men. In age, sex and BMI adjusted linear regression model, Log10 of LTL was associated with low HDL-C (beta = 0.221; p = 0.041) while logistic regression showed a significant association between Log10LTL and prevalent dyslipidaemia characterised by high LDL-C. In this population, the relationship between LTL and CMD is weak given its association with only HDL-C and LDL-C.