Qumbu is a town in O.R.Tambo District Municipality in the

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 South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. The town is 61 km north of

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of 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. Matan ...

and was founded in 1876. The name is of isiXhosa origin, derived from ''amazimba aqumbu'', ‘the corn has budded’, or ‘the corn is swollen’, referring to a tribal war which occurred at that time of the year. It is also known by its Tribal fights during the 18th century, where Chief Mhlontlo was accused of killing the then Missioner Mr Hamilton Hope who helps in the foundation of the town Magistrate court. Mhlontlo was lately arrested in

King Williams Town Qonce, formerly known as King William's Town, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. Qonce, with a population of around ...

. Qumbu was the first place in the Eastern

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...

homeland to have a hospital named Nessie Knight in the nearby rural area of Sulenkama founded by the Missioner Mr Peterson. It lies on the north-east side of the Eastern Cape provincial border alongside the N2 route between Mthatha and Mt Frere, and the R396 between

Tsolo Tsolo is a town in Mhlontlo Local Municipality in O.R.Tambo District Municipality, O.R.Tambo District of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is some 42 km north-west of Mthatha and 22 km south-west of Qumbu. The name, de ...

and Maclear. It is bordered by King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality to the south,

Nyandeni Local Municipality Nyandeni Local Municipality is a local municipality in the OR Tambo District, situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Its administrative seat is the town of Libode. The entire municipal area falls within the former Transkei homeland ...

to the east, Umzimvubu Local Municipality to the north The nearest hospital is Nessie Knight Hospital. In the 1990s a high level of stock theft in the area resulted in a low-level civil war that engulfed Qumbu and the nearby settlement of

. This conflict left an estimated 400 people dead. In 2007 the area was still ranked as having one of the highest rates of stock theft in South Africa.

References

Populated places in the Mhlontlo Local Municipality Populated places established in 1876 1876 establishments in the Cape Colony {{EasternCape-geo-stub