Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
province of
South Africa and the capital of
OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an
airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzima Airport after former leader
Kaiser Matanzima. Mthatha derives its name from the nearby Mthatha River which was named after the sneezewood (umtati) trees, famous for their wood and medicinal properties.
History
The settlement existed in the 1870s as a buffer-zone, in response to reported tensions between
Pondo and neighbouring Thembu groups, and in 1875 a magistrate's office was opened. The first magistrate, appointed that year, was a man named J F Boyes. The settlement developed during the next few years, becoming a military post for the British colonial forces in 1882. The town itself was founded in 1883, along the banks of the
Mthatha River. Nearly a century later, the
Mthatha Dam was constructed about eight kilometers upstream of the town. Mthatha became the leading administrative centre of the area, having both
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
and
Catholic cathedrals. The town became the headquarters of the Transkeian Territories General Council (known as the Bunga), and the building which served as a parliament was erected in 1903.
This was followed by the construction of the town hall in 1908.
A branch of the
University of Fort Hare was established in the town, and after the independence of the
Transkei in 1977 it became the
University of Transkei. In 2005, the University of Transkei with the Border Technikon and Eastern Cape Technikon were merged to form the
Walter Sisulu University for Technology and Science. The campus was the base for the region's first community radio station
UCRFM which started in 1996 and has become a significant community broadcaster.
On 1 August 1973, Mthatha High Court was opened.
In 1973, a summit meeting of the black homeland leaders was held at Umtata, when they decided to federate their respective states after independence. In 1976,
Transkei was granted independence as a bantustan, a nominally independent state not recognised outside South Africa. Mthatha served as the capital under the name "Umtata".
Under the Transkei regime, an airport named after the then ruler of Transkei
KD Matanzima was built. On 21 May 2012, the airport was formally handed over to
Lindiwe Sisulu, then Minister of Defence, by
Noxolo Kiviet, then Premier of the Eastern Cape. However, the South African National Defence Force relinquished its control of the airport in 2013. The airport was renamed
Mthatha Airport.
After the end of apartheid, some sections of the African business and professional community migrated to traditionally white areas of economic activity, and this has been widely cited as a cause of economic recession in the municipality, but a number of construction projects offer hope for renewal.
Many of South Africa's black leaders – including
Walter Sisulu,
Sabelo Phama Sabelo is a South African given name that may refer to:
*Sabelo Mlangeni (born 1980), South African photographer
* Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Professor and Chair of Epistemologies of the Global South
*Sabelo Ndzinisa (born 1991), Swazi football play ...
,
Bantu Holomisa and
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
— come from this area, and the retired Mandela visited his home village of
Qunu a few kilometres south of Mthatha.
Mthatha is a focal point of the Nelson Mandela Route which celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela. There are three Nelson Mandela Museums. Spread across three sites, they collect, interpret and exhibit key aspects of the story of the life and times of Nelson Mandela. The three historical sites of the museum are at Mvezo, Qunu and the Bunga Building in Mthatha itself. In the Bunga Building is the story of the ''
Long Walk to Freedom'' and an exhibition of the many gifts received by Nelson Mandela.
On 2 March 2004, Umtata was renamed "Mthatha".
Business
Mthatha has 2 major taxi businesses: Uncedo Taxi Association and Border Taxi Association. These associations had a feud over the
R61 road
The R61 is a long provincial route in South Africa that connects Beaufort West with Port Shepstone via Graaff-Reinet, Komani (previously Queenstown), Mthatha and Port Edward.
The R61 is co-signed with the N9 for 103 kilometres from Aberdeen thr ...
from Mthatha to
Libode
Libode is a small town of 5000 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated on the R61 road (future N2 Wild Coast Toll Route) from Port St Johns in the east to Mthatha in the west and serves as the administrative sea ...
and
Port St. Johns
Port St. Johns (or Port Saint Johns) is a town of about 6,500 people on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, northeast of East London and east of Mthatha. Port St. Jo ...
. This feud resulted in taxi ranks being closed by the Government. Over 60 fatalities were reported during the period of the feud. In 2018, the
Minister of Police Bheki Cele closed all taxi ranks in Mthatha and demanded that the taxi associations negotiate with the police and merge to form one association but they refused. As a result, some taxis were impounded by the police. Sagas ranks were opened in Mthatha but the ranks that were not opened triggered riots with people protesting and police firing rubber bullets and tear gas affecting a nearby school (St John's College).
In 2019, two final year students, from the Walter Sisulu University developed affordable prosthetics. These students, Siphosethu Mgwili and Zanodumo Godlimpi, were awarded the first ever WSU vice-chancellor's award for most innovative prototype.
Religion
The city is the episcopal see of both the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Mthatha
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Umtata ( la, Umtatan(a)) is a diocese located in the city of Umtata, King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, in the Ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Durban, Durban in South Africa.
Histo ...
and the
Anglican Diocese of Mthatha
The Diocese of Mthatha is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Before 2006 it was known as the Diocese of St John's, and earlier still as that of Kaffraria. The diocese currently has 96 p ...
.
Economy
Mthatha falls under OR Tambo District Municipality which is the poorest district in the Eastern Cape by all poverty measures. It has the lowest HDI (0.45) and the highest poverty gap (2 231 million) in the Eastern Cape. The number of people living in poverty is also high in this district (64.6%), unemployment is at 65.5% and the literacy rate 42.2%.
In 2006, it was reported the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality was owed R250 million by residents in unpaid service fees. It counts among its creditors the South African Revenue Service (to which it owes R18-million), the Public Investment Commission (R84 million), the national water affairs and forestry department (R46 million) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (R13 million).
According to SA Delivery, The average annual income of a black Mthatha resident is R15,762.
The town has also been plagued by complaints about the state of its roads. Despite all that, a new dawn is beckoning for Mthatha with the construction of infrastructure like BT Ngebs Mall and Mayfair Hotel.
Notable people from Mthatha
*
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
*
Moneoa Moshesh
Moneoa Moshesh-Sowazi (born ), is a South African singer-songwriter and actress mononymously known as Moneoa. She came to prominence after the release of her singles, "Is'Bhanxa" and "Pretty Disaster", the latter remix
A remix (or reorchestr ...
*
Amanda Black
*
Lwazi Mvovo
*
Odwa Ndungane
*
Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
*
Akona Ndungane
Akona Zilindlovu Ndungane (born 20 February 1981 in Mthatha, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player whose usual position was on the wing, although he also played as the centre.
He started his career in the Eastern Cape, play ...
*
Alan Barrow
*
Bongani Mayosi
Bongani Mawethu Mayosi BMedSci, MB ChB, FCP(SA), DPhil, (28 January 1967 – 27 July 2018) was a South African professor of cardiology He was the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town and an A-rated National ...
*
Nkosinathi Mankayi
*
Bubele Mhlana
*
Carlo Del Fava
Carlo Antonio Del Fava (born 1 July 1981) is a South African-born Italian former rugby union player. His preferred position was Lock. After hanging his boots up he then decided to take up coaching.
Del Fava was born in Mthatha, South Africa to ...
*
Jeff Hawkes
*
Jessica Haines
*
Masibusane Zongo
Masibusane Zongo (born 30 March 1990 in Mthatha, Eastern Cape) is a South African football (soccer) midfielder who plays for Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.
He was recalled for a second trial with Tottenham Hotspur, a high profile team in the ...
*
Ngazibini Sigwili
*
Odwa Ndungane
*
Sean Park
Sean Michael Park (born 24 April 1980) is a South African people, South African born English cricketer. Park is a right-handed batsman (cricket), batsman who bowls right-arm Seam bowling, medium pace and who fields as a wicket-keeper. He was ...
*
Siya Mdaka
Siyabulela Mdaka (born 14 February 1988 in Mthatha) is a South African rugby union player who last played for the Leopards (rugby union) in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is flanker.
Career
Youth and Varsity ...
*
Vusumuzi Masondo
Lieutenant General Vusumuzi Masondo is a South African military commander.
He was born in Umtata on 21 December 1957. After graduating from University in 1978, he joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1979, undergoing training in Lohatla and ...
*
Sabelo Phama Sabelo is a South African given name that may refer to:
*Sabelo Mlangeni (born 1980), South African photographer
* Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Professor and Chair of Epistemologies of the Global South
*Sabelo Ndzinisa (born 1991), Swazi football play ...
*
Nambitha Mpumlwana
*
Zola Nombona
Zola Nombona (born 10 March 1992), is a South African actress best known for her role as Shado, a streetwise teenager, in the second season of the SABC 1 drama series ''Intersexions'' in 2013.
Education
She went to Victoria Girls' High Schoo ...
*
Jet Novuka
Jet Novuka (born 3 March 1971) is a South African actor also known as ''Sir Jet Novuka''.
Early life
Novuka was born and raised in Mthatha
Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern ...
*
IFani
*
Busiswa
*
Black Coffee
*
Athi-Patra Ruga
Athi-Patra Ruga (born in 1984) is a South African artist who uses performance, photography, video, textiles, and printmaking to explore notions of utopia and dystopia, material and memory. His work explores the body in relation to sensuality, cu ...
*
Kaneez Surka
*
Jerry Masslo
Jerry Essan Masslo (4 December 195925 August 1989) was a South African refugee living in Italy, who was murdered by a gang of criminals. His case deeply affected public opinion on racism in Italy and led to a reform of Italian legislation regardi ...
Climate
Mthatha has a warm
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(
Köppen ''Cfb'') closely bordering on both a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(''Cfa'') and a
semi-arid climate (''BSh''/''BSk'').
See also
*
Kei River
The Great Kei River is a river in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is formed by the confluence of the Black Kei River and White Kei River, northeast of Cathcart. It flows for and ends in the Great Kei Estuary at the Indian Ocean wi ...
*
Mthatha River
*
Transkei
References
External links
Mthatha town websiteThe Ecological Health of the Mthatha RiverCan Mthatha turn the corner?
{{Authority control
Populated places in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
Transkei
Capitals of former nations
Populated places established in 1876
1876 establishments in the Cape Colony