The Kaap River (also ''Umlambongwane'' or Little Crocodile River) is a river in the De Kaap Valley of eastern
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...
province,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. It is a tributary of the
Crocodile River with which it has a confluence at
Kaapmuiden
Kaapmuiden ''(Cape Mouth)'' is a small farming town situated at the confluence of the Kaap and Crocodile Rivers in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town lies just off the N4 national highway and is marked by a large abandoned silo visible from th ...
. The Kaap River has two main tributaries, namely the North Kaap River (
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
: Noordkaap) and South Kaap River (Afrikaans: Suidkaap). Its lower reaches cut through the scenic Krokodilpoortsberge, where it has several tributaries, including Figtree creek and Low's creek (or Mantibovu).
History
The catchment area of the river was once inhabited by the Mbayi tribe, or people of Maseko, who were lorded over by the bakaNgomane.
Their places of residence can still be recognized by their
cairn
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
s, the purpose of which is unclear.
file:The Castle Line atlas of South Africa - a series of 16 plates, printed in colour, containing 30 maps and diagrams, with an account of the geograaphical features , the climate, the mineral and other (14579454658), crop.jpg, none, 250px, The Kaap River and its tributaries on a map of 1895. The border between
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and Swaziland (since 2018 renamed to Eswatini) is shown at bottom right.
See also
* List of rivers of South Africa
References
{{Rivers of South Africa
Rivers of Mpumalanga