The Letaba River ( af, Letabarivier), also known as Leţaba, Lehlaba or Ritavi, is a river located in eastern
Limpopo Province
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. It is one of the most important tributaries of the
Olifants River.
Course
It starts at the confluence of the
Groot Letaba River
The Groot Letaba River headwater streams originate in the Drakensberg Escarpment, descending in long runs with an occasional riffle or pool, mostly in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
Tributaries
At the higher level the Broederstroom River ...
and
Klein Letaba River, whence they continue their journey eastwards through the
Lowveld
Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...
as the Letaba River. It joins the
Olifants River in the foothills of the
Lebombo Mountains
The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in ...
, near South Africa's border with
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
. In Mozambique the latter river is called the
Rio Elefantes.
Tributaries include the
Middle Letaba River,
Nharhweni River,
Ngwenyeni River,
Nwanedzi River,
Molototsi River,
Nsama River and
Makhadzi River.
Dams in the basin
*
Ebenezer Dam
*
Tzaneen Dam
Tzaneen Dam is an earth-fill type dam located on the Groot Letaba River, near Tzaneen, Limpopo, South Africa. After the cyclone Eloise that emanated from the Mozambique side, the dam was certified 110% full by the Department of Water and Sanitati ...
*
Modjaji Dam, in the Molototsi River
*
Hudson Ntsanwisi Dam, in the Nsama River
*
Middle Letaba Dam, in the Middle Letaba River
*
Engelhard Dam
none, 450px, Game animals along its banks, near Letaba camp, central Kruger Park
See also
*
Luvubu and Letaba Water Management Area
Luvubu and Letaba Water Management Area in South Africa includes major South African rivers. The area is also known as "Levubu and Letaba Water Management Area (coded: 2)" and "Luvuvhu and Groot Letaba WMA". The WMA includes the following rivers: ...
References
Olifants River (Limpopo)
Rivers of Limpopo
{{SouthAfrica-river-stub
