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 Mpondo and neighbouring Thembu groups, and in 1875 a magistrate's office was opened. The first magistrate, appointed that year, was a man named

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