The most important urban centre in the Transkei, Umtata is a bustling city set on the Mtata River, named for the sneezewood (umtati) trees that grow along its banks. Once the capital of the Transkei homeland, Umtata now forms part of the Eastern Cape, but is still the economic and commercial hub of the region. Attractions include the Umtata Dam, with its picnic sites and water sports opportunities, and the Nelson Mandela Museum, which documents the life and times of this phenomenal man – South Africa’s most famous hero and freedom fighter – who grew up in a nearby village.