The Msunduzi River is a river in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

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 also known by its

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

name, the ''Dusi River''. The original name, ''Msunduzi'', is

isiZulu Zulu (), or isiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in Southern Africa. It is the language of the Zulu people, with about 12 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal of ...

. The Msunduzi is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Mngeni River The Umgeni River or Mgeni River ( zu, uMngeni) is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN Midlands, and its mouth is at Durban, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. The name is taken to mean "the ...

In Pietermaritzburg

The Msunduzi passes through the centre of

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

, the provincial capital. A portion of the river within the city has been dammed by

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s, and is used for

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

ing and

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

practice. This section, known as Camp's Drift, has also been proposed for potential development of a sporting and office complex, including an olympic standard canoe slalom course. The

Msunduzi Municipality Msunduzi Local Municipality is a local municipality in Umgungundlovu District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It encompasses the city of Pietermaritzburg, which is the capital of the KwaZulu-Natal province and the main economic hub of ...

, to which Pietermaritzburg belongs, takes its name from the river.

Dusi Canoe Marathon

The

Dusi Canoe Marathon The Dusi Canoe Marathon is a marathon canoe race held over three days between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. It is run along the Msunduzi and Mgeni Rivers over a total distance of . The race attracts between 1600 and 2000 paddlers ...

is an annual canoe

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

from

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, which starts on the Msunduzi, and ends on the Mngeni. The race attracts around 2000 paddlers, and receives national

media coverage Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

in South Africa. The race first began in 1951.

Problems with water quality

In the Pietermaritzburg region, the river occasionally contains counts of ''

E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escher ...

'' bacteria as high as 50 000 per 100 ml. This results in a fairly high incidence (64% of respondents in one survey) of health issues in canoeists using the river. These include

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

(colloquially known as "Dusi guts"), as well as eye and ear infections, and septic cuts. The poor quality of water is believed to be caused by sewers near the river overflowing during heavy rains, and illegal dumping. These health risks threaten the annual canoe marathon.Robinson, K. (2001)
'Dusi Guts' threatens annual canoe race
''IOL'', retrieved 24 June 2006 In effective terms, the water quality of the Msunduzi river is undesirable and can pose as a serious health threat for those who brave its waters. An NGO, the Duzi-Umgeni Conservation Trust (DUCT), has been set up to coordinate projects aimed at improving water quality, and conserving the regions around the river. (DUCT were responsible for the above-mentioned figures). Following DUCT lobbying, the Msunduzi District Municipality has commenced on a 10 million rand (SA currency) program to repair and improve the sewage system in 2016. DUCT is also testing trash nets as a means of catching and removing illegally dumped trash.

References

External links

Official website of the Dusi Canoe MarathonSA Paddler Magazine
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Website of DUCT, the Duzi-Umgeni Conservation Trust, a NGO set up to conserve the river and its environsWebsite of Umgeni Water, the water utility responsible for managing the riverWebsite containing detailed maps, videos and photographs or the river to assist canoeists
Rivers of KwaZulu-Natal