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45-426: It was formerly also known as "Tamboekieland" or "Tambookieland". The area of Thembuland proper includes present-day Mthatha , Mqanduli , Ngcobo , Mjanyana , Dutywa and Willowvale as well as their surroundings. Thembuland was historically defined as the area between Umtata and the upper Kei River . As such it formed an area of 50 by 120 miles, although its boundary was considered disputable with Pondoland on

90-454: A degree of independence from Britain under the system of Responsible Government , operated under a relatively inclusive system of multi-racial franchise - whereby qualifications for suffrage applied equally to all male residents, regardless of race. Its laws also forbade any white settlement in traditional "Native territory". The Cape was therefore viewed by Ngangelizwe and his ministers as a satisfactory entity to merge with. Ngangelizwe however,

135-680: 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. The city is the episcopal see of both the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mthatha and the Anglican Diocese of Mthatha . Mthatha falls under OR Tambo District Municipality which

180-549: A new Secretary of State for War and the Colonies , to reflect the increasing importance of the colonies. In 1825 a new post of Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was created within this office. It was held by Robert William Hay initially. His successors were James Stephen , Herman Merivale , Frederic Rogers , Robert Herbert and Robert Henry Meade . From 1824, the British Empire (excepting India , which

225-667: 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

270-522: A rape crisis centre launched in 2001, sees between 60 and 120 patients a month, from up to 200 km (120 mi) away. It won an award for being "the best-run care centre in South Africa". Sinawe means "we are with you" in Xhosa . Mthatha has a warm oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ) closely bordering on both a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) and a semi-arid climate ( BSh / BSk ). Mthatha

315-532: Is prone to severe thundersoms, some of which are tornadic in nature. Mthatha has been hit by several tornadoes between 1995 and 2023, the most recent being the EF3 tornado that damaged residential areas near the airport, including the airport itself. news24.com article "mthatha has collapsed" Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of

360-557: 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

405-934: The British Raj and other British territories near India, were under the authority of the India Office from 1858. Other, more informal protectorates , such as the Khedivate of Egypt , fell under the authority of the Foreign Office . After 1878, when the Emigration Commission was abolished, an Emigration Department was created in the Colonial Office. This was merged with the General Department in 1894, before its complete abolition in 1896. The increasing independence of

450-735: The Dominions – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Newfoundland and South Africa – following the 1907 Imperial Conference , led to the formation of a separate Dominion Division within the Colonial Office. From 1925 onwards the UK ministry included a separate Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs . After the Cairo Conference held in March 1921, the Colonial Office was charged for the Palestine Mandate administration in substitution of

495-723: The East India Company until 1858, when the India Office was formed to oversee the administration of the new Viceroyalty of India (the Crown ruled India directly through a Viceroy after the Indian Rebellion ), while the role of the Colonial Office in the affairs of the Dominions was replaced by the Dominion Office in 1925. It was headed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies , known informally as

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540-801: The Foreign Office . On 16 April 1947, the Irgun placed a bomb at the Colonial Office which failed to detonate. The plot was linked to the 1946 Embassy bombing . After the Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the Dominion Office was merged with the India Office to form the Commonwealth Relations Office . In 1966, the Commonwealth Relations Office

585-607: The King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape 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. The settlement existed in

630-679: 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 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

675-933: The United Kingdom , first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colonies , as well as, the Canadian territories recently won from France), until merged into the new Home Office in 1782. In 1801, colonial affairs were transferred to the War Office in the lead up to the Napoleonic Wars , which became the War and Colonial Office to oversee and protect

720-628: The colonies of the British Empire . The Colonial Office was re-created as a separate department 1854, under the colonial secretary . It was finally merged into the Commonwealth Office in 1966. Despite its name, the Colonial Office was responsible for much, but not all, of Britain's Imperial territories; the protectorates fell under the purview of the Foreign Office , and the British Presidencies in India were ruled by

765-559: The "homeland" of the Xhosa people. The current Thembu king is King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo , son of Sabata Jonguhlanga Dalindyebo , and his praise name is Zwelibanzi . The King caused controversy in 2009, by calling for secession from South Africa, as a response to a criminal case against him. In December 2009 King Buyelekhaya was convicted of offences including culpable homicide , kidnapping , arson and assault . In response he proposed secession from South Africa and later demanded that

810-454: The 1870s as a buffer-zone, in response to reported tensions between Mpondo 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

855-531: The 1876 act were that the Thembu traditional government system was to get full government recognition; Thembu King, Chiefs and Subchiefs were to earn government salaries; normal taxation would only begin in 1878; the boundaries of Thembuland were final and were not to be altered in any way; and that the sale of alcohol be prohibited to Thembu subjects. The resignation of the controversial Thembu King Ngangelizwe, in favour of his successor, had initially been demanded by

900-551: The Cape Colony, who, in this capacity, fought several victorious campaigns against their Gcaleka and Mpondo enemies. According to the original laws of the Cape Colony, as well as the terms of the Annexation Act, Europeans were prohibited from owning land in the Thembu territories. This was initially intended to prevent the dispossession of the Thembu by aggressive settlers, however in the ensuing political upheavals,

945-539: The Cape government as a precondition for annexation, but this condition was waived as being impractical. Otherwise, the terms of the incorporation were implemented as stated. Traditional land ownership was fully recognised and, with the exception of a few missionaries and white traders, Thembuland was preserved for Thembu occupation, as part of the "Transkeian territories". However, the Colonial Office 's overthrow of

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990-718: The Colonial Secretary. Prior to 1768, responsibility for the affairs of the British colonies was part of the duties of the Secretary of State for the Southern Department and a committee of the Privy Council known as the Board of Trade and Plantations . Separately, the Indian Department was responsible for relations with indigenous nations in North America from 1755 onwards. In 1768

1035-666: 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

1080-670: The Hala royal clan. Beginning in the 19th century, Thembuland became embroiled in conflict with the neighboring British Empire . From 1871 the Thembu became engaged in a protracted war against an alliance of neighbouring Xhosa-speaking peoples, including the Pondo , the Bomvana and the Gcaleka . The Thembu Paramount-Chief, Ngangelizwe, had sought to unite the various Thembu clans but had come under increasing military pressure from Sarhili , King of

1125-643: 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 and

1170-527: The South African government pay the king R900m and the tribe a further R80bn in compensation for the humiliation caused by the criminal trial. Dalindyebo was imprisoned in December 2015, released in 2019 and is back to rule his kingdom. Mthatha Mthatha / ə m ˈ t ɑː t ɑː / ; Xhosa: [ḿ̩ˈtʰâːtʰà] , alternatively rendered Umtata , is the main city of

1215-632: The Thembu chiefs as leaders of "District Councils", thereby establishing a system of proxy rulers. The Government of Cecil Rhodes passed legislation, such as the Parliamentary Registration Act , that severely curtailed the voting rights of the Thembu and all Black African citizens of the Cape. However it was the Union of South Africa, in the Twentieth Century, that was to oversee the greatest growth in oppression against

1260-686: The United Kingdom's colonial dependencies in The Colonial Office List , though between 1926 and 1940 it was known as The Dominions Office and Colonial Office List . It later became known as the Commonwealth Relations Office Year Book and Commonwealth Office Year Book . In addition to the official List published by the Colonial Office, an edited version was also produced by Waterlow and Sons . It can be difficult to distinguish between

1305-430: The Xhosa. The conflict had a personal side, as Ngangelizwe's Chief Wife Novili was the daughter of Sarhili, and rumours had been spread that Ngangelizwe had ill-treated her. Facing severe military pressure from the combined armies of his enemies, Chief Ngangelizwe and his Ministers approached the nominally-independent Cape Colony to negotiate alliance and possible incorporation. The Cape Colony, having recently achieved

1350-570: 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 , Bantu Holomisa and Nelson Mandela — come from this area, and

1395-615: The coast, and with Fingoland just to the south. The definition of the area has also changed over time. Before colonial conquest, it was divided into Tembuland Proper, Emigrant Tembuland and Bomvanaland —the Bomvana were a related people who lived on the east bank of the Bashee River , in what was later the district of Elliotdale. In colonial times it was defined as consisting of the districts of Emjanyana , Engcobo , Mqanduli , Umtata , St Marks , Southeyville and Xalanga . The hunter-gatherer San and Khoikhoi people inhabited

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1440-400: The collapse of its utilities and infrastructure. It's widely reported that the general decline into dysfunction and societal fragility is caused by endemic political corruption, municipal incompetence and widespread criminality. Despite all that, a new dawn is beckoning for Mthatha with the construction of infrastructure like BT Ngebs Mall and Mayfair Hotel. The Sinawe Thuthuzela Care Centre ,

1485-615: The elected Cape government in 1878 and assumption of direct rule over the Cape Colony caused the Confederation Wars, and the later disruption of the treaty's peaceful implementation. The annexation was only finally completed in 1885. Thembuland was defined at the time as being the territory between Umtata and the Tsomo River, and home to 60,000 people. Thembuland also submitted troops to the Frontier Armed forces of

1530-514: The event of a conflict with the British and their Gcaleka enemies. If these conditions were incorporated into law, together with respect for the traditional authority of the chiefs, then they would request incorporation. The Cape government agreed to these terms and signed them into law with the Tembuland Annexation Act (1876) , creating the magisterial districts of Xalanga, St. Marks, Elliot and Engcobo. Additional stipulations of

1575-589: The law was badly enforced. From the 1880s, the pro-imperialist governments of Prime Ministers John Gordon Sprigg and Cecil Rhodes turned a blind eye to white incursions. Already by 1882, white settlers had illegally moved north of the Great Kei River and, in the same year, Chief Ngangelizwe himself sold territory within Umtata district to white land owners. In 1894, the Glen Gray Act constituted

1620-650: The museum are at Mvezo, Qunu and the Bunga Building in Mthatha. 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". Mthatha has 2 major taxi businesses: Uncedo Taxi Association and Border Taxi Association. These associations had a feud over the R61 road from Mthatha to Libode and Port St. Johns . This feud resulted in taxi ranks being closed by

1665-518: The people of Thembuland. Later, in the lead up to the Union of South Africa and the beginning of Apartheid , the franchise and property rights of the Thembu were gradually revoked, and what rights remained were applied only in their original homeland. Later still, under apartheid, the Transkei was turned into a bantustan . In the ethnic theory underpinning apartheid , the Transkei was declared as

1710-508: The region in scattered nomadic groups from c. 30,000 BCE. In the 16th century, iron-working Xhosa people entered the area during their expansion. Once immigrant clans arrived in this region, they were assimilated by Xhosa people, becoming part of the nation. They would later be given land and permission by the Xhosa Kingdom to rule themselves in the region now known as Thembuland. Thembuland became an independent kingdom , ruled by

1755-480: The retired Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela lived in 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

1800-611: The separate American or Colonial Department was established, in order to deal with colonial affairs in British America . With the loss of thirteen of its colonies , however, the department was abolished in 1782. Responsibility for the remaining colonies was given to the Home Office , and subsequently in 1801 transferred to the War Department . The War Office was renamed the War and Colonial Office in 1801, under

1845-458: Was a highly controversial leader in the Xhosa-speaking community. He was hated by many in the neighbouring Pondo and Gcaleka states, and accused of a range of crimes. The Cape Government demanded his resignation, as a precondition for any annexation. According to Cape Parliamentary records, the Thembu leaders demanded, among other things, four magistracies with equal access to the Cape's current system of multiracial franchise, and military support in

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1890-498: Was administered separately by the East India Company and then the British Raj ) was divided by the War and Colonial Office into the following administrative departments: In 1854, the War and Colonial Office was divided in two, the War Office and a new Colonial Office, created to deal specifically with affairs in the colonies and assigned to the Secretary of State for the Colonies . The Colonial Office did not have responsibility for all British possessions overseas: for example, both

1935-402: 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

1980-404: Was re-merged with the Colonial Office, forming the Commonwealth Office . Two years later, this department was itself merged into the Foreign Office, establishing the Foreign and Commonwealth Office . The Colonial Office had its offices in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Main Building in Whitehall . From 1862, the Colonial Office published historical and statistical information concerning

2025-407: 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,

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