Maputo–Katembe bridge from the norther shore; July 2018

The Mbuluzi River (also known as the iMbuluzi or Umbeluzi) is one of the main rivers of Eswatini, and an important river in

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 ...

. On the boundary of these countries, the Mbuluzi cuts through the Lebombo Range, before entering the Mozambican plain. It empties into the

Estuário do Espírito Santo The Estuário do Espírito Santo is an estuary on the western bank of Maputo Bay, Mozambique where four rivers flow: the Tembe, Mbuluzi, Matola and Infulene Rivers. Its maximum depth is 11 meters, with the channels dredged. The north bank of t ...

and then

Maputo Bay Maputo Bay ( pt, Baía de Maputo), formerly also known as Delagoa Bay from ''Baía da Lagoa'' in Portuguese, is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique, between 25° 40' and 26° 20' S, with a length from north to south of over 90&n ...

Maputo 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 1,0 ...

, and its waters pass under the Maputo–Katembe bridge, completed in 2018. The river has two sources, one in the

highveld The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld'', where ''veld'' means "field") is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly 1500 m, but below 2100 m, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of ...

north of Mbabane, which is known as the Black Mbuluzi, and a second in the middleveld near

Manzini Manzini may refer to: *Manzini, Eswatini, a town in the Manzini Region of Eswatini *Manzini Region, a region of Eswatini *Manzini (surname), an Italian surname See also *Roman Catholic Diocese of Manzini The Diocese of Manzini ( la, Manzinien(si ...

, which is known as the White Mbuluzi, or ''imBuluzane''. The river passes through the northeastern lowveld of Eswatini, specifically traversing Hlane Royal National Park and Shewula Nature Reserve. In Eswatini, in the vicinity of the sugar plantations of

Mhlume Mhlume is a town located in the Lubombo district of Eswatini. Mhlume has a population in excess of 20,000. It is well known for its large sugar cane fields in the area. It also has a sugar refinery called Mhlume (Swaziland) Sugar Company. Mhlume ...

, the river is impounded by the Mnjoli Dam. In Mozambique it is known as the Umbeluzi, and is impounded there by the Pequenos Libombos Dam. The river is augmented by various tributaries before its waters enter

. Two other major rivers empty into

, namely the Komati or

Incomati River The Komati River, also known as the Inkomati River or Incomati River (in Mozambique, from Portuguese Rio Incomati), is a river in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Originating in north-western Eswatini, it is joined by the Crocodile Riv ...

from the north, and the Great Usutu or

Maputo River The Maputo River (Portuguese ''Rio Maputo''), also called Great Usutu River, Lusutfu River, or Suthu River, is a river in South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique. The name ''Suthu'' refers to Basotho people who lived near the source of the river, ...

from the south.

External links

Rivers of Mozambique Rivers of Eswatini International rivers of Africa {{Mozambique-river-stub