The 38-year-old rally driver died in July while attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with his wife, as part of a Trek4Mandela expedition to raise funds for sanitary pads for more than 350,000 impoverished girls.
News of his death sent shockwaves across the nation and, for a time, it seemed as if Mzansi was in a constant state of mourning. Here was a young father and a husband taken in his prime.
"I was pretty much just begging him to hold on the whole way"
Speaking during an interview with talk show host Anele Mdoda on Real Talk, Gugu's wife Letshego said that her husband had been suffering with altitude sickness on Mount Kilimanjaro but insisted that they go in separate parties up the mountain so that she would not see his suffering. But after his condition grew worse, medics insisted that he be taken down the mountain for urgent medical assistance.
"Gugu was unconscious, all the way. He was unconscious before we left Kibo and that's why the doctor made the decision to descend.
Letshego went on to emotionally recall how she spoke to Gugu the whole way down Mount Kilimanjaro.
"I was talking to him the whole way... I just kept on saying to him 'just hold on, hold on for our daughter.' And I was pretty much just begging him to hold on the whole way. And I kept on saying 'you'll be fine, you'll be okay'.
A fitting farewell for a legend
An emotional memorial service was held in Gugu's honour at Kyalami race track, where friends, fans and family gathered to pay tribute to him.
In a heartfelt tribute to her late husband at the memorial, Letshego promised to expose their young daughter Lelethu to their adventurous lifestyle that had characterised the couple. She also shared her wish that Lelethu will one day meet someone at least half the man that Gugu was.
"My wish is for our daughter, Lelethu, to meet a man half as amazing as her father," she said.
"I was his number one fan"
In an interview with eNCA shortly after his son's death, Gugu's dad, Peter Zulu, said that the family take comfort in knowing the athlete died doing what he loved.
"I was his number one fan and to me it's a great loss, it's really a great loss," he said.
Gugu's mother Puleng said that her son's life has been a "gift from God.
"God gave us a gift. The impact that Gugu has made to the world, I think we should thank God for his life," she said.
Letshego has kept her husband's legacy alive, returning to Mount Kilimanjaro in September to honour her husband on the two-month anniversary of his death.
She also plans to start the Gugu Zulu Foundation to continue his legacy, and determined to start a medical facility in Gugu's name to make sure as few lives are lost on Mount Kilimanjaro.