Eastern Cape Province
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in 199 ...
,
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 flows in a southeastern direction and has a catchment area of 6,030 km. The river drains into the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
through an
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
located near the
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
at Bashee, south of Mhlanganisweni.
After passing under national road N2, the Mbhashe River encounters southwest of
Elliotdale
Elliotdale ( xh, Xhora) is a town in Amatole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
The town lies 50 km south of Mthatha and 22 km south-east of Mqanduli. It is named after Sir Henry Elliot, Chief Magistrat ...
and north-east of
Dutywa
Dutywa (formerly 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.Collywobbles before continuing more sedately towards the Indian Ocean.
The Mbhashe river's main tributaries are the Xuka River, Mgwali River,
Dutywa River
Dutywa (formerly 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.Mnyolo River. Presently this river is part of the
Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area Mzimvubu to Keiskamma WMA, or Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area (coded: 12), includes the following major rivers: the Swane River, Mntafufu River, Mzimvubu River, Mngazi River, Mthatha River, Xora River, Mbashe River, Nqabara River, ...
.
History
In 1554
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
ship São Bento ran aground at the mouth of the Mbhashe River. The ordeal of 322 of its survivors, who walked from there to
Lourenço Marques
Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088 ...
, presently Maputo, has been recorded.
Mvezo
Mvezo is a small village on the banks of the Mbashe River, not far from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The village is mainly known as being the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, whose family serves as its chiefly dynasty
A dyn ...
is a village on the banks of the Mbhashe River, where
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
was born in 1918.
Ecology
Some of the fishes caught in its waters are ''
Labeobarbus aeneus
The smallmouth yellowfish (''Labeobarbus aeneus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Labeobarbus''. It has become an invasive species in rivers of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, such as the Mbhashe River.
Introduction
The Orange-V ...
'', ''
Barbus pallidus
The goldie barb (''Enteromius pallidus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Enteromius''. It is endemic to the Eastern Cape in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost cou ...
'', ''
Barbus anoplus
The chubbyhead barb (''Enteromius anoplus'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the genus ''Enteromius''. The fish is found throughout South Africa in a variety of aquatic environments. The species is notable for its two breeding season ...
'', ''
Myxus capensis
The freshwater mullet (''Pseudomyxus capensis'') is a species of fish in the family Mugilidae. It is endemic to South Africa.
Distribution
The freshwater mullet is endemic to South Africa where is distribution extends from Kwazulu-Natal, the Eas ...
Anguilla mossambica
The African longfin eel (''Anguilla mossambica''), also known simply as the longfin eel, is an eel in the family Anguillidae.
''. ''Labeobarbus aeneus'' is an
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
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 Guideline ...
*
List of estuaries of South Africa
This is a list of estuaries in South Africa. The list is in order from East (border with Mozambique) to the West (border with Namibia).
The South African coastline stretches for some 3000 km from Kosi Bay near the Mozambique border in the ...