Unhygienic conditions, overcrowding and riots became matters of concern in Duncan Village, a township which had been created for the African population in the 1940s.

The apartheid government recommended that Amalinda, a white suburb not very far from Mdantsane, should be zoned as a black area in 1957.

[4] On February 20, the Minister of the Department of Bantu Administration and Development announced that the entire African population of East London was to be moved to a new site called Mdantsane, which was within the boundaries of the Xhosa native reserve under the administration of the Ciskei Territorial Authority which had been set up in 1961.

[3] Ciskei became self-governing in 1972 and then granted nominal independence on 4 December 1981, with Mdantsane becoming one of the homeland's largest townships.

To encourage African residents of Duncan Village and East London to relocate to Mdantsane, the apartheid government adopted a number of strategies.

The first was to introduce the Regional Decentralisation Programme (RIDP) in the 1960s which saw the establishment of clothing, food, furniture and building accessory factories on the border of East London, particularly in Wilsonia and at Fort Jackson in Mdantsane.

However, low wages, the rise of trade unions and lack of funding in the early 1990s led to the collapse of these factories.

To further create the illusion of Mdantsane as an ideal township for Africans, apartheid government then added social services and facilities such as Rubusana Training College, and the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, and subsidised road and rail transport.

[4] On 13 July 1983, the Ciskei Transport Corporation (CTC) introduced an 11% (50 cent) bus fare increase on the route between East London and Mdantsane.

To discuss the issue of the bus fare increment, a meeting with 1000 people was held in a church hall in Duncan Village on 10 July 1983.

The commuters initially walked to work in large groups, from Mdantsane across the Ciskei border to East London, a distance of about twenty kilometres.

[5] Security forces from the Ciskei government set up roadblocks in Mdantsane, and there were reports of commuters being hauled out of taxis and ordered onto buses.

On 22 July 1983, five people were shot and wounded by Ciskei security forces at the Fort Jackson railway station.

[5] The events are referred to in the song "Mdantsane - (Mud Coloured Dusty Blood)" on Juluka's sixth album Work For All.

Many political stalwarts and veterans also hail from this township, including Thozamile Gqweta, Ntombazana Gertrude Botha, Mlamli Ondala and Bangumzi Sifingo.

Mdantsane was the home of several figures from the anti-Apartheid struggle, including Monde Mkunqwana who was imprisoned in 1963 for a supposed attempted assassination against Transkei leader Kaiser Matanzima; the lawyer Louis Mtshizana; ANC activist Matta Don Molteno who was banned by the Apartheid government in 1976; and Mzimkulu "Dabana" Gwentshe of the National African Youth Organisation (NAYO) who was imprisoned on Robben Island in 1964.

The stadium has hosted the SuperSport Rugby Challenge and is also an alternative home ground to the Port Elizabeth Premier Soccer League outfit Chippa United.

[14][15] Professor Njabulo Ndebele in his book 'Behind sweaty windows’ describes boxing as a core element in the township's culture.

The N2 freeway skirts Mdantsane to the north leading eastwards to East London and westwards to Qonce (King Williams Town).