Qunu is a Xhosa rural village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated approximately 30 km south-west of Mthatha along the N2 National Route and 23 km north-east of Mvezo village, the birthplace of President Nelson Mandela.
Qunu village falls within the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality and the OR Tambo District Municipality.
The Mandela family
Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, was born near Qunu in Mvezo village, which lies on the banks of the Mbhashe River. He however, grew up in Qunu after his father was deposed as the chief of Mvezo. After his retirement, Mandela returned to Qunu. In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela describes Qunu as the place where he spent the happiest moments of his childhood.
The remains of four of Mandela’s children were originally buried in Qunu, but were exhumed by one of his grandsons, Mandla Mandela. Mandla reburied the remains in Mvezo, the village of which he was chief. On 3 July 2013, the Eastern Cape High Court ruled that the remains should be moved back to Qunu. Shortly after this, King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo relieved Mandla of his duties.
On 15 December 2013, Nelson Mandela was buried in Qunu following a state funeral, on his family’s property in a spot he personally selected.
