Mthatha is the main town of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality

King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality

King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is a municipality situated in the inland of Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The municipality is made up of Mthatha and Mqanduli...

 in Eastern Cape

Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...

 province of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. The town has an airport, previously known by the name K. D. Matanzima Airport after former leader Kaiser Matanzima

Kaiser Matanzima

Kaiser Matanzima was a former leader of the Transkei in South Africa.-Biography:Born in Qamata, Eastern Cape, a nephew of Nelson Mandela, Matanzima received the name Daliwonga upon reaching manhood as an "isikhahlelo" . It means "Maker of Majesty"...

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It 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. The Mthatha Dam was constructed about eight kilometers upstream of the town.