Mthatha Tourism Information

Quick Facts: Mthatha

• Formally known as Umtata
• The University of Mthatha was originally founded in 1976 and is a branch of Fort Hare
• Bunga Parliament building Mthatha
• Town Hall Mthatha
• Anglican Cathedral
• Nelson Mandela Museum
• Wild Coast Golf Course
• Nelson Mandela Museum
• Nature Reserves: Luchaba Nature Reserve ( 5km north of Mthata), Hluleka Nature Reserve, Nduli Nature Reserve (3km south of Mthatha), Dwesa & Cwebe Nature Reserves
• National Museum
• Craft Centres
• Hilmond Weaving Mill and Izandla Pottery
• Mthatha Country Club

Distance to Airport: 14 km

Distance to City: 5 km

Introducing Mthatha

The city of Mthatha in South Africa, formally known as Umtata, was the capital of the former Transkei and was founded in 1871.
It is a bustling place mainly occupied by the Xhosa people. The town lies in a hilly region surrounded by grasslands.
The University was originally founded in 1976 and is a branch of Fort Hare.

Mthatha is the main town of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Mthatha has an airport, previously known by the name K. D. Matanzima Airport after former leader Kaiser Matanzima.

Mthata was a military post for the colonial forces in 1882, and the town itself was founded in 1883, along the banks of the Mthatha River along South Africa's Wild Coast. The Mthatha Dam was constructed 8 kilometers upstream of the town.

Mthatha became the leading administrative center of this region in South Africa, being home to both Anglican and Catholic cathedrals.
Mthatha also became the seat of the traditional authorities and a parliament building for this purpose known as the Bunga, was erected.

A branch of the University of Fort Hare was established , and after the "independence" of the Transkei in 1977 it became the University of Transkei, which has since been integrated into 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.