Dutywa, also known as Idutywa, is a town in Mbashe Local Municipality, Eastern Cape province, South Africa, that was founded in 1858 as a military fort after a dispute between a Natal Colony raiding party and its local people. It is named after the Dutywa River, a tributary of the Mbhashe River. The name means "place of disorder" in the Xhosa language; its spelling was officially changed from "Idutywa" to "Dutywa" on 16 July 2004. The settlement was laid out in 1884 and was made a municipality in 1913. The town is the birthplace of former South African President, Thabo Mbeki.