Ciskei

American  

[sis-kahy] / ˈsɪs kaɪ /

noun

1. a self-governing Bantu territory of South Africa on the Indian Ocean: granted independence in 1981 by South Africa, but not recognized by any other country as an independent state. 3,200 sq. mi. (8,300 sq. km). Bisho.

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Ciskei British  

/ ˈsɪskaɪ /

noun

1. (formerly) a Bantu homeland in SE South Africa; declared independent in 1981 but this was not recognized outside South Africa; abolished in 1993. Capital: Bisho (now Bhisho)

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Other Word Forms

• Ciskeian adjective

Example Sentences

The Swazi bantustan, Lebowa, and Venda were composed of three pieces each; Gazankule, four; the Ciskei, seventeen; Bophuthatswana, nineteen; and KwaZulu, twenty-nine.

From Literature

Inspired by the success of the mass action campaign, a group within the ANC decided to march on Bisho, the capital of the Ciskei homeland in the eastern Cape, a bantustan led by Brigadier Oupa Gqozo.

From Literature

The Ciskei had a history of repression against the ANC and in 1991 Brigadier Gqozo had declared a State of Emergency in the Ciskei to curtail what he called ANC-sponsored terrorism.

From Literature

A few weeks later, Brigadier Gqozo in the Ciskei capitulated and asked South Africa to take over the homeland.

From Literature

In the years since he was expelled from Ciskei, he has built his new farm, Whitehall, into one of the leading export operations in the Western Cape's fruit belt.

From Time Magazine Archive