Port St. Johns Local Municipality: History
The municipality lies near the center of the coastal region of Mpondoland (Pondoland), the area formerly part of the Mpondo Kingdom and a traditional home of the Mpondo people. When the Kingdom split in two around 1846, the Port St. Johns area became part of Western Mpondoland under King Ndamase, as a result of a disagreement with his father King Faku, even though in theory Ndamase still owed fealty to his father.
In 1869 the British government of the Cape Colony offered the Mpondo king, Ndamase, a substantial sum of money for the Port St. Johns area, but Ndamase refused the offer. Cape Colony renewed the offer in 1874, but Ndamase remained adamant. However after Ndamase died in 1876, his successor Nqwiliso, readily agreed and in 1878, Nqwiliso ceded the Port St Johns area to the Cape Colony in exchange for £1000 and recognition as the ruler of the Western Mpondo Kingdom.
The town of Port St Johns was founded in 1884, taking its name from the earlier Portuguese "Sâo Joâo" at the area was called. It is unclear whether the Portuguese name was derived from a wreaked ship of the same name that foundered there, or from the silhouette of a rock face that reminded the sailors of the apostle. However, before 1552 the locality was known to the Portuguese as "Sâo Christovâo".
In 1960 the population of the municipality generally did not participated in the Mpondo Revolt. However, the murder of Headman Aaron Majali of Majola on 26 September 1960 by fifteen youths from Ntlanjana and Guduza was definitely related.
From 1959 to 1994, the municipality was part of the bantustan of Transkei.