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 Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

, 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 city, 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 popul ...

, and its waters pass under the

Maputo–Katembe bridge The Maputo–Katembe bridge (''Ponte de Maputo a Katembe'') is a suspension bridge across Maputo Bay in southern Mozambique. The bridge connects the Mozambican capital Maputo, on the northern bank, with its disjunct suburb of Katembe on the souther ...

, 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 Mbabane (; ss, ÉMbábáne, ) is a city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the executive capital. With an estimated population of 94,874 (2010), it is located on the Mbaba ...

, 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 Hlane Royal National Park is a national park in Eswatini, roughly 67 km northeast of Manzini along the MR3 road.South Africa, page 815 Prior to the park being public, it was a private royal hunting ground. Hlane, meaning 'wilderness', was n ...

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