The Bushman's River () is an east to north-easterly flowing tributary of the
Tugela River
The Tugela River (; ) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , and a drop of 1370 metres in the lower 480 km, it is one of the most important rivers of the country.
The river originates in M ...
, in the
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
province of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It rises in the
Drakensberg Mountain range, with its upper catchment in the
Giant's Castle Game Reserve, north of the
Giant's Castle
Giant's Castle is a mountain located within the Drakensberg range in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It includes a grassy plateau nestled among the deep valleys of the southern end of the central Drakensberg. Together, the shape of the peaks and ...
promontory. It feeds the
Wagendrift Dam and then flows past the town of
Estcourt to join the
Tugela River
The Tugela River (; ) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , and a drop of 1370 metres in the lower 480 km, it is one of the most important rivers of the country.
The river originates in M ...
near the town of
Weenen
Weenen (Dutch for "wept") is the second oldest European settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is situated on the banks of the Bushman River. The farms around the town grow vegetables, lucerne, groundnuts, and citrus fruit.
History
The p ...
.
Its tributaries include the
Little Bushmans River which joins the Bushmans River at Estcourt, Rensburgspruit,
Mtontwanes River and the
Mugwenya River. The
Wagendrift Dam near Estcourt is its major reservoir. Several densely populated rural villages, many inhabited by the ''
amaHlubi'', are found in the river's upper catchment area.
The river is flanked by the
Bloukrans River to the north and the
Mooi River to the south.
See also
*
List of rivers of South Africa
This is a list of rivers in South Africa.
It is quite common to find the Afrikaans word ''-rivier'' as part of the name. Another common suffix is "''-kamma''", from the Khoisan term for "river"
Meiring, Barbara"South African Toponymic Guidelin ...
*
List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
The following is a partial list of dams in South Africa. __NOTOC__
In South African English (under influence of Afrikaans), a dam refers to both the wall as well as the reservoir or lake that builds up as a consequence.
List of dams (reservo ...
References
External links
List of South African DamsDepartment of Water Affairs and Forestry (South Africa)
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
* Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
Rivers of KwaZulu-Natal
{{SouthAfrica-river-stub