Mbizana, previously known as Bizana, is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated along the R61 Provincial Route from Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal to Flagstaff.
Mbizana falls within the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality and the Alfred Nzo District Municipality. Mbizana is the main town and administrative centre/seat of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality.
Winnie Mandela, ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, was born here in 1936. Oliver Reginald Tambo (popularly known as OR Tambo, after whom the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg is named) was also born and grew up in Mbizana. The town has many surrounding villages.
Bizana has a provincial hospital, the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital. The Greenville hospital, in the eTyeni area of Imizizi Administrative area, was originally developed by the Roman Catholic church in 1900. Greenville has been the subject of community protests after years of neglect.
The Wild Coast Sun Casino and Hotel by Sun International Group is situated 52 kilometres from the town. The Wild Coast Sun hosted Idols South Africa theatre week in 2016 and 2017.
Mbizana is in the Wild Coast area and has beautiful beaches. One of them is Silver Beach, a beautiful and peaceful beach in the Xholobeni area, where a hotel complex is located. The controversial Xolobeni mine has been proposed to mine the area’s titanium reserves.
Mbizana lies on the border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces. The population is predominantly Xhosa.
1986 bombing
On 18 April 1986, two people were killed and several others injured when a bomb, set by Phumzile Mayaphi, exploded at the Wild Coast Casino near Mbizana. Mayaphi, an MK operative, was charged and convicted of murder and sabotage, and was sentenced to death (some sources say to 18 years) on 12 May 1989. Mayaphi was released as a political prisoner in 1990.
