Transkei

American  

[trans-key, -kahy] / trænsˈkeɪ, -ˈkaɪ /

noun

1. a self-governing Bantu territory of South Africa on the Indian Ocean: granted independence in 1976 by South Africa, but not recognized by any other country as an independent state. 16,910 sq. mi. (43,798 sq. km). Umtata.

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Transkei British  

/ trænˈskaɪ /

noun

1. (formerly) the largest of the Bantu homelands in South Africa; declared an independent state in 1976 but this was not recognized outside South Africa; abolished in 1993. Capital: Umtata

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Other Word Forms

• Transkeian adjective

Example Sentences

In an interview with the New York Times published Thursday, Makaziwe Mandela said her father wanted the former Transkei region where he was born and raised to benefit economically from tourism.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2024

Its people rose up against the apartheid government in the 1950s and won a homeland, Transkei, that did not abide by the most oppressive strictures of White rule.

From Washington Post • Apr. 26, 2022

He was first initiated in 1997, and regularly gives consultations in Cape Town as well as around his homestead in the Transkei, a southeastern region of South Africa.

From Time • Mar. 6, 2015

Born into a tribal aristocracy in the Transkei, the seven-year-old Rolihlahla Mandela was sent to a Christian mission school.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2013

I am a member of the Madiba clan, named after a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the eighteenth century.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela