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One of the most prolific Xhosa authors and literary giants, W. K. Tamsanqa produced a number of books which to this day are widely used in school syllabi, including Inzala ka Mlungisi, Buzani kuBawo, Imitha Yelanga, Ukuba Ndandazile, Ithemba Liyaphilisa, Nyana Wam, Nyana Wam and uTamsanqa Igorha Lokwenene. Tamsanqa’s writing skills first came to the fore when he wrote short stories which were later used as study material for his schoolmates at Blythswood Education Institution, where he later became a teacher. He was also part of the delegation that publicly announced the formation of the Freedom Charter in Kliptown 1958 while working in Daveyton, East Rand in Johannesburg. On his return to the Eastern Cape, Tamsanqa worked as a news journalist for a Xhosa newspaper, Imvo Zabantsundu, in King William’s Town. He died on 17 December 1998 at the age of 70 and was buried in the Zazulwana Administrative Area.

Tiyo Soga was the first African to be ordained as a minster into the Presbyterian Church in South Africa. He was born in Gwali in 1829, at the time of Chief Maqoma’s expulsion from the Kat River area. He died on the 12th of August 1871, and his grave can be located at the Tutura Uniting Presbyterian Church in the town of Centane, Eastern Cape.

A natural heritage site of the Mnquma Local Municipality, the fall is situated on the western tributary of the Guwa river beside the village of KwaNdotshanga. Traditional lore states that there used to be an execution stone at these falls that was used by the King to behead people believed to be witches. Bawa Falls is a horsetail waterfall with a single fall of 103 meters and an average width of 2 meters.

This historic fort is situated approximately nine and half kilometres outside Butterworth. The actual building found at the site was originally a trading station complex which consisted of a homestead, store, shop, hospital and horse stable. The homestead was used as the headquarters of the British Commandant and his staff. It was owned by John Barnett, who surrounded the complex with high walls which eventually provided the British soldiers with a three-foot deep ditch.

Centane was the site of the battle of Centane on the 7th of February 1878 during the ninth Fontier War. A Gcaleka force commanded by Khiva and Sigcawu, attacked the British soldiers from the south with the resulting loss of more than 300 Xhosa warriors compared with the loss of only two British soldiers.

Nongqawuse was the teenage prophetess whose visions triggered the tragic Xhosa Cattle-Killings of 1857-1858. Nongqawuse’s prophesy, said to have been delivered by spirits of the ancestors in a pool of water, required the Xhosa people to destroy their cattle and burn their crops in order to bring about a new paradise where new crops and cattle would arise along with an army of ancestors who would drive the European settlers back into into the sea. Desperate, and suffering from the effects of a prolonged drought and cattle disease, the Xhosa people obeyed resulting in further famine and disease. The 1856 cattle killings have receded into legend and its tragic manifestation is Nongqawuse’s pool, which can be visited on guided tours from the resort of Qolora Mouth.

Ngcayichibi was a “Mfengu” Chief whose traditional African wedding ceremony to a beautiful bride, Nomangwaba, sparked a war between his tribesmen and the Gcaleka people who had arrived at the event by crossing a stream separating both nations in 1877. During the festivities, a fight broke out between two men which led to a protracted bloody war between the warring factions which transcended the frontier areas. A source of further division between the Xhosa tribes, the Mfengus enjoyed the support and protection of Colonial masters of the day with the police being summoned to the scene of hostilities to protect the Mfengus.

The 142-year-old school, one of eight missionary schools in the Province, was unique in that it was started as a joint effort by the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the Mfengu community. A total of ₤1500 was collected which was at the time a large amount of money for a very poor rural area. The school was subsequently established in 1877. The then Division of Transkei Chief Magistrate and resident commissioner for the area, Captain Matthew Blyth, also played a big role in the establishment of the school.  

Govan Archibald Mvunyelwa Mbeki, the father of former South African President Thabo Mbeki, was an ex-political prisoner who served out a prison sentence alongside the global anti-apartheid stalwart Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela on Robben Island. Govan Mbeki was born on July 8, 1910 in Mpukane Location, Ngqamakhwe. He was the youngest of five children born of Johanna Mabola and Sikelewu Mbeki. The latter was a traditional Chief who was later deposed of his status by the colonial government. Govan Mbeki attended missionary schools, including Healdtown College near King William’s Town and obtained a BA degree and teaching Diploma from Fort Hare in 1937. As a student, Mbeki worked part-time as a “newsboy” before joining the African National Congress (ANC) in 1935, due to the influence of communist ideologues and Black American Civil Rights Movement activist Edward Roux and Max Yergan, respectively. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from the University of South Africa in 1940, Mbeki began his illustrious political career which saw him become secretary of the Transkei African Voters’ Association. It was in Port Elizabeth that Mbeki became deeply involved in ANC activities helping to grow the party’s support to one of the most politically conscious regions in South Africa. In 1955 he moved to Port Elizabeth as local editor of New Age, a left wing newspaper. Although not at this stage a member of the Communist Party, he made no effort to conceal his left-wing views. From Port Elizabeth he reported on political events in the Transkei and maintained close ties with students at Fort Hare. Govan Mbeki died in September 2001 and was buried in Port Elizabeth.

Phalo, the son of Tshiwo ruled from 1700 to 1775. He was the last king of an independent and united Xhosa nation. When Phalo came to the throne, Europeans were virtually unknown in Xhosaland. It is said that Phalo only ever saw one European in his life, the elephant hunter Hubner, who visited him in 1736. After his death the first frontier war broke out and One Hundred Years War of Xhosa versus Settler began. Phalo was more concerned about the unity of the Xhosa Kingdom. He was buried under the trees in Tongwana.