The Transkei (/trɑːnsˈkeɪ/ or /trɑːnsˈkaɪ/, meaning the area beyond [the river] Kei), officially the Republic of Transkei (Xhosa:iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa. Its capital was Umtata, which was renamed Mthatha in 2004.